March out like a lion: Where will weather roar in US on Easter?
While severe weather is not anticipated for much of the United States during the Easter weekend, there will be areas of rain and snow to contend with in the Midwest, East and West. Hail may rain down in Missouri.
Rain in the final days of March will be especially heavy along the coast.
The final weekend of March could go out like a lion for some, while other locations may experience a tranquil holiday weekend for festivities and travel, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The travel and outdoor trouble spots include portions of the Midwest, northern Plains, Rockies and California, largely due to two storms.
Rain and snow for the Midwest, Ohio Valley
A storm that will affect the interior West to end the week will swing northeastward across the North Central states this weekend.
While neither the rain nor the snow looks excessive, the storm will affect a broad area as one part of the storm races eastward from the northern Plains on Friday to across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Saturday. The main storm will then push from the Plains to the Midwest, spanning Easter Sunday and Monday.
The parts of the storms that have snow or a wintry mix will generally be from the Dakotas to the northern areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, where enough may fall to make for slippery travel.
It will not rain or snow the entire time during the extended holiday weekend. For example, only a shower or two is expected around Chicago during the day on Easter. However, it may rain enough in some areas to spoil most outdoor activities or make for damp conditions for religious services and Easter egg hunts.
One zone where thunderstorms may turn severe will extend over the middle part of the Mississippi Valley. This narrow corridor could feature drenching thunderstorms with hail and is likely to be just the start of a multiday severe weather event for the Central states.
Stormy weekend weather for California
As one storm pushes inland over the West early this weekend with spotty low-elevation rain and mountain snow, a new storm will be hot on its heels.
"A secondary storm diving southward along the coast of California this weekend will send extra moisture into the state," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
Aside from the deserts, almost anywhere across the state could have precipitation. While up to an inch of rain may be possible in Central California, like San Francisco, the heaviest rain will likely focus on Southern California.
Enough rain may fall on the Los Angeles area over the weekend to lead to localized flooding.
There is the potential for 1-2 inches of rain in L.A., Travis said. It's also possible that the rain could be accompanied by thunderstorms, which may bring downpours, further impeding travel across the area.
"It's not out of the question that, depending on the track of the storm and how much cold air it brings, snow could accumulate on some of the highest peaks in the Southern California mountains," Travis explained.
In the Sierra Nevada, another healthy dose of snow is expected with this storm. While the snow could be welcome for getting in another holiday of skiing or snowboarding at the resorts, motorists going through Donner Pass could instead find that the snow brings travel challenges. The storm this weekend could unload another 1-3 feet of snow on the high country of the mountain range.
Dry for the South, Northeast and Northwest on Easter Sunday
Some of the best weather in the nation for Easter Sunday will be from the South Central states to the Southeast.
"An area of high pressure over Florida will help to build a dome of warm, dry conditions from the southern Atlantic coast westward to Texas and Oklahoma," said Travis.
Those venturing to the theme parks in central Florida can expect highs in the 80s, but intense sunshine will help to boost AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to near 90 for a time in the afternoon.
Some sunshine is in store for much of the Northeast, including the New York City area, on Easter Sunday. This will follow drenching rain for a portion of the interior Northeast from later Saturday to early Sunday as the pattern of relentless soaking storms continues from early in the winter.
Dry and milder weather is in store for much of the Northwest on Sunday as that second storm pushes away and across California.
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