Strong cold front sweeps across Central and Eastern U.S. this weekend
A strong cold front is moving across the Midwest, Great Lakes, and lower Mississippi Valley, bringing showers and thunderstorms into the weekend. The front is expected to reach the East Coast by Sunday, December 10, 2023, with severe thunderstorms forecast in areas from east Texas to the lower Mississippi River Valley.
The United States is currently experiencing a strong cold front that is traversing various regions, bringing with it a range of weather conditions.
Today, the Midwest is facing the front, which will move towards the Great Lakes and lower Mississippi Valley by Saturday, and finally reach the East Coast on Sunday.
This system is accompanied by showers and thunderstorms, as well as areas of gusty winds and snow in the Cascades, Rockies, northern Plains, and Upper Midwest through Saturday.
“From gusty winds to dangerous thunderstorms and even snow, a massive storm will affect 180 million people in the eastern half of the United States this weekend,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski noted.
According to NWS forecaster Kebede, light to moderate snow is expected over the Rockies today due to a low-pressure area. A deep mid-latitude cyclone will spread snow and wind across the Northern Plains before shifting focus to areas east of the Great Plains this weekend.
The upper-level pattern is set to draw moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, affecting the Lower Mississippi Valley starting Friday night. The Midwest will see showers and thunderstorms expanding on Saturday, with a Slight Risk of Severe Thunderstorms, including tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail, from east Texas to the Tennessee Valley on Saturday afternoon and evening.
The evolving upper trough will also lead to warmer than average temperatures across the Plains and Midwest today and Saturday, before moving to the East Coast on Sunday. In contrast, the West will experience below-average temperatures due to high pressure affecting the Intermountain West and Rockies this weekend.
References:
1 Short Range Forecast Discussion – NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD – 300 AM EST Fri Dec 08 2023
2 Massive weekend storm to pack a punch for millions in eastern half of US – AccuWeather – December 8, 2023
Featured image credit: NOAA/JMA/EUMETSAT, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Acquired at 16:10 UTC on December 8, 2023
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