Wet out West
Rainy nor’easter possible next week
Across the region, relatively mild conditions will persist, with partly cloudy skies and high temperatures in the mid to upper 40s through the weekend as high pressure settles across the region. This calm period will not last long, however, as a powerful storm system is forecast to develop across the deep south over the weekend and move toward the Northeast early next week. Across the west, heavy rain and snow continue to pound the region; only 65 percent of California remains in a drought, down from 100 percent just three months ago. Incredibly, only 2 percent remains in exceptional drought, down from 21 percent and 42 percent three months and one year ago respectively.
This much-needed intense precipitation will continue in waves through early next week, continuing to bring drought relief, and across the Pacific Northwest, even some flooding concerns. In the deep south, record warmth will continue with intermittent chances for thunderstorms through the weekend. Over the weekend, a powerful low pressure system is poised to develop in the Southern Mississippi River Valley and move east, potentially bringing significant severe weather to the Gulf Coast region.
Early next week, the system will slide up the East Coast toward the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The potential nor’easter may bring heavy rain to the local region and possible snow inland, but it’s too early to predict possible impacts