Powerful weekend storm to bring rain, possible snow to millions in East

After what could be a relatively quiet end to the week across most of the central and eastern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping a close eye on an abrupt shift in the weather pattern this weekend for millions of Americans.

The dry and increasingly mild conditions that will precede the upcoming storm this weekend will set the stage and provide the atmospheric fuel needed for what could end up being a highly disruptive storm. Residents from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast over to the East Coast are advised to check AccuWeather often for the latest forecasts.

During the day on Friday, a storm tracking through the central Rockies will shift into the southern and central Plains, developing a new area of low pressure. Chilly air blowing out of the Rockies and northern Plains will clash with warm and humid air flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico, which can spawn a rapidly intensifying storm.

While there can be pockets of rain and perhaps a few thunderstorms from the southern Plains into the middle Mississippi River valley Friday and Friday night, the main event is expected to get underway on Saturday as the storm intensifies.

Strong to severe thunderstorms to march across the South, Southeast

With warm, humid air surging out of the Gulf of Mexico ahead of an approaching cold front this weekend across the South, severe thunderstorms can erupt.

A region spanning from eastern Texas into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and western Tennessee will be the area to watch for potentially dangerous thunderstorms on Saturday, and the risk for powerful storms extends as far northward as Kentucky and southern Indiana. Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Memphis, Tennessee; are a few cities to watch closely for damaging thunderstorms to start the weekend.

Depending on the exact track and intensity of the storm system on Saturday, it is possible that areas even farther north into the Ohio Valley could even be in line for thunderstorms and heavy rain.

The thunderstorm threat will not be limited to Saturday either, as the storm will intensify and track into the East on Sunday. An area potentially spanning from Florida to the mid-Atlantic states should be prepared for heavy rain and gusty thunderstorms to close out the weekend.

Although the storm will pose a risk of severe thunderstorms, moderate to heavy rainfall can be good news for the Mississippi River and its large tributaries.

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“Any rain that falls over the Mississippi River basin from the storm this weekend will be beneficial in terms of drought relief,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski stated. “Because rain is expected to fall on multiple major tributaries, including the Ohio, Missouri and Arkansas rivers, there should be a small, but positive bump in river levels in the wake of the storm in the days, perhaps weeks to follow.”

Heavy snow potential to span from the Midwest to the interior Northeast

As chilly air surges southward from the Rockies and Canada this weekend, the risk of heavy snow will be in the cards as well.

“This storm will interact with cold air on the northwest side of the storm,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Bauer explained. “If the cold air can move in quickly enough, we could be looking at a zone of impactful snow from the Midwest and up through the Great Lakes Saturday into Sunday.”

Slight shifts in the storm track can make a big difference in determining where the heaviest snow ultimately falls from a storm like this, but residents in the Great Lakes region will want to closely monitor the forecast and be prepared for hazardous wintry conditions this weekend.

The storm track will dictate what type of precipitation falls across the interior Northeast into Sunday as well. If the storm were to lift up into Canada, residents across the interior Northeast can expect primarily rain, but if a more southern track were to occur, there could be a period when rain changes over to snow before coming to an end. Along the East Coast, major cities from Washington, D.C., to Boston will likely deal with all rain from this storm, some of which can be heavy between Sunday and Monday.

Strong wind gusts to disrupt travel

In addition to the heavy rain, thunderstorms and accumulating snow, this powerful storm will likely pack a punch in terms of wind gusts across the central and eastern United States this weekend and into early next week. Travelers both on the roads and in the air could end up experiencing delays, even in areas where rain or snow is not falling.

The timeframe for the strongest wind gusts from this storm is expected to occur Sunday and Sunday night across parts of the Ohio Valley, the Northeast and into the mid-Atlantic states. Within this zone, wind gusts of 40-60 miles per hour with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 75 miles per hour are anticipated.

Check back with AccuWeather throughout the week for the latest updates on the upcoming storm.

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