This weekend is a tale of two storm systems. One will drench and blanket the Northeast today, while the other brings showers into the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest by Sunday.
Today
The low pressure system just offshore of the East Coast will make its last precipitous push over the Northeast, although it will mostly fizzle out by sunset. Before then, moderate to heavy rain will take charge along the Northeastern coastline, while similarly moderate snow totals will fall from northeastern Pennsylvania through Maine. A wintry mix will transition into rain or snow in the Mid-Atlantic states as temperatures rise and fall.
Although lighter in depth, isolated snow showers are also on the radar in the Northwest's Cascades and Rockies as a low pressure region begins to peek into the northern Plains. Expect scattered showers to enter the High Plains by the evening and the Midwest by Midnight, but an isolated light drizzle will drip over the Pacific Northwest.
The southern states of the union keep trekking toward summery heat, aided by clearer skies and a general lack of rain through the whole U.S. Southern Tier. Highs of 80s and 90s bring beads of sweat in the southern Plains and the Desert Southwest, while 60s and 70s warm the Lower Midwest, the South, the southern Intermountain West, and the Californian coastline.
Cooler 40s and 50s sweep much of the U.S. Northern Tier, save for the 20s and 30s in the interior Northeast, the northwestern High Plains, and the Rockies. However, winter is losing its grip quickly, so be ready to switch on the AC unit!
Sunday
The main weather story on Sunday will be a low pressure system drifting from the central Plains into the Great Lakes. An associated warm front will be found ahead of the low pressure system, while a cold front drops through the nation’s midsection. As a result, precipitation will occur from the northern and central Rockies/Plains into the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest, and Ohio Valley.
Most areas will just see precipitation in the form of rain for the end of the weekend. The exception will be the tallest peaks of the northern/central Rockies, where snow will fall. Expect snowfall accumulations from a Trace to perhaps a few inches.
At the same time, a low pressure system will inch away from the Northeast. A few rain showers will be possible across southern New England through the Mid-Atlantic coast. The best chance of any rain will occur in the morning and afternoon.
The West Coast and most of the Southern Tier will be under the influence of high pressure on Sunday. Dry, quiet weather is in the forecast here.
Unseasonably warm weather is in store for the immediate West Coast into the Southwest, Plains and Midwest. Meanwhile, colder than normal temperatures await the interior Northwest to the northern Plains as well as most of the Eastern U.S.
High temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s for the northern Rockies. A few 30s will also be scattered throughout the far northern Plains. Forties and 50s cover the interior Northwest, the rest of the Rockies and northern Plains into the Upper Great Lakes, Appalachian Spine, and Northeast.
Expect 60s and 70s for the Northwest, central Plains, Midwest, Deep South, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. Eighties and 90s cover most of California into the Desert Southwest along with the southern Plains. The mercury will even climb to the triple digits across parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
