(State College, PA) - Despite the return of mild air in the Northeast, the first of a pair of weak Alberta Clippers will still trigger light snow in the Northeast and rain and thunderstorms in the Ohio Valley and the South. The second clipper on Wednesday will be followed by a powerful weekend storm.

The recent cold spell across the Northeast comes to an abrupt end today as mild air arrives from the southwest. At 5 a.m. EST Monday, Watertown, N.Y., was the coldest spot in the nation, setting a record low of -33°; 24 hours later, the temperature was 38°, a swing of 71 degrees.

The East Regional News story reports many centers in the Northeast today will have the warmest temperatures so far this month.

The high in Watertown will be 47°, the first time the temperature has reached the 40s since January 13.
The return to milder temperatures will be accompanied by light snow from the clipper. According to the Winter Weather Center, up to a couple of inches of snow is forecast for northern New England, while the remainder of the Northeast and the northern mid-Atlantic states will receive rain that could change over to wet snow overnight.

Tonight's weather across the mid-Atlantic states will come from a weak low pressure center riding along the clipper's cold front. As reported in the Midwest Regional News and the South Regional News stories, the weak low today will bring rain to the Ohio Valley and showers and thunderstorms through the South.

Overnight, temperatures across much of the Northeast will dip below freezing, leading to the potential for icy roads overnight.

Moderate daytime temperatures will continue until , when colder air returns behind the second clipper.

Wednesday night, the fast-moving clipper system will pass across the northern Great Lakes, bringing 1 to 3 inches of snow to most of upstate New York and New England and the potential for 3 to 6 inches in a smaller area.

This pair of Alberta Clippers will be weak compared to the storm that will push into the West Coast by Thursday, then strengthen into a powerful storm Saturday when it emerges into the southern Plains.

According to our Western Expert Meteorologist Ken Clark,

a Pacific storm on Thursday will bring much-needed rain and mountain snow to California before become the major weather story for the upcoming weekend.
South Expert Meteorologist Frank Strait the south-central region on Saturday will likely be pounded by a widespread outbreak of severe weather before the threat shifts eastward by early next week.

The Severe Weather Center and the Midwest Regional News stories have additional information, including details on the potential for a major snowstorm or blizzard across the central and northern Plains and the Midwest.

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