Widespread moderate to heavy rain is possible this afternoon across the Lower Mississippi River Valley as a cold front tracks across the region. The combination of abundant moisture and slow-moving precipitation will lead to rainfall amounts ranging from 1 to 3 inches, with locally higher amounts possible
Very heavy snow will continue through Saturday afternoon across the Central Plains. The greatest accumulations of 1 to 2 feet will be found from northeast Colorado into southern Nebraska and northwest Kansas. Relatively lighter snowfall amounts will fall over central Kansas and western Iowa
A Pacific system is forecast to bring a significant winter storm to the central Rockies and adjacent Great Plains from Thursday through Saturday. Heavy snowfall (locally in excess of one foot) is possible across eastern Colorado, southeast Wyoming, northwest Kansas, and Nebraska. Strong winds will accompany the snow, leading to reduced visibilities under one half mile at times
Heavy snow will continue in the high terrain of northwest Washington as a cold front sweeps across the region. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 20 inches are expected in the northern Cascades above 3,000 feet by Wednesday morning.
A strong area of high pressure to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands is bringing windy conditions and high surf to the islands. Waves reaching up to 35 feet in height are possible in some areas. Wave activity will peak overnight tonight, and then subside over the next couple of days
A strong Santa Ana wind event is expected across southern California through Saturday afternoon. The strongest winds will occur across the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties with wind gusts between 60 and 70 MPH. Winds across Southern California are expected to peak Saturday morning
Flooding will be a concern in the Pacific Northwest over the next couple of days as more rain and snow impact the area. Strong winds will also accompany this system, which is expected to move through the northwest Wednesday into Thursday. Strong winds may make driving hazardous for high profile vehicles.
A large geomagnetic storm (a type of solar storm) — the largest such storm since October 2003 — is currently underway. The storm remains at S3 (strong) levels but has dropped below its peak and will continue to slowly decrease throughout the day.
Strong winds in La Quinta, California cause play to be suspended during the third round of the Humana Challenge Golf Tournament. Trees were uprooted, tents and scoreboards were blown over and people were evacuated from the course.
The National Weather Service’s New Orleans/Baton Rouge Weather Forecast Office today increased its rapid response ability with the launch of a new 24/7 emergency response desk and team of meteorologists and hydrologists who will provide forecasts, warnings, and timely decision support services during high-impact weather and other disasters. A critical part of NOAA’s Weather-Ready Nation initiative, these emergency mobile weather and water forecasters are trained to work alongside emergency managers to enhance preparedness efforts in the central Gulf coast region.
