Our 1°Outside Today videos typically only span 24 hours, but with today being Friday and light snow anticipated to fall Saturday, Matt takes us through the Saturday snow. Nonetheless, we’ll dive into more detail and do any fine tuning we need to in our usual Insights video – the deeper-dive into meteorology – coming up later today on our homepage and Noyes’ 1DegreeOutside Weather app.
A potent winter storm continues to evolve across the Southern Plains, bringing significant winter weather impacts from Texas through the Mid-South. Heavy snow, freezing rain, and sleet will create treacherous travel conditions, especially across Arkansas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, where up to 8 inches of snow and up to 0.25 inches of ice are possible. Snow will gradually spread northeast into the southern Mid-Atlantic by Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, the northern U.S. will experience a quieter day, with lingering snow showers across the Great Lakes and parts of New England slowly tapering off as high pressure builds in. Another disturbance entering the Pacific Northwest will bring coastal rain and mountain snow, with heavy accumulations expected in the Cascades and Northern Rockies.
In the West, Santa Ana winds will continue to create critical fire weather conditions in Southern California. Temperatures across the nation will remain seasonally cold, with Arctic air entrenched over much of the northern and central U.S., while the Southeast sees slightly below-average temperatures.
Friday will bring a brief reprieve to the Northeast, as high pressure builds over the region. Snow showers will taper off across the Adirondacks, Green Mountains, and northern Maine, leaving behind clearing skies and dry conditions for most areas. Temperatures will recover slightly, with highs reaching the mid-20s to mid-30s, providing some relief from recent frigid conditions.
As we head into Friday night, clouds will increase from west to east ahead of the next weak system. Light snow is expected to overspread the region Saturday morning, bringing widespread accumulations of a coating to 2 inches, with locally higher amounts possible in the higher terrain of the Adirondacks, Greens, and Berkshires, as well as along the immediate coast. Snow showers may linger into Saturday evening, especially in the mountains, as northwest winds set up upslope snow across the favored terrain, and perhaps along parts of the Massachusetts coast, especially Cape Cod with a disturbance over the water grazing Eastern MA.
While no major impacts are expected where treatment and snow management is underway, travelers should be cautious of slippery roads, particularly Saturday morning. For outdoor enthusiasts, improving conditions on Friday will provide a window of opportunity for winter activities before another round of light snow moves in for the weekend.
