Weekend weather forecast: A few wet, warm days from Mississippi to Maine
It’s December, the first month of meteorological winter, and temperatures in the eastern United States will look more like early fall this weekend. But the wave of heat will bring a wave of moisture that will provide a solution “significant precipitation” from the Gulf Coast in the Northeast through Sunday, according to forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center.
Warm weather will begin to increase across the Plains on Thursday, with temperatures 20 to 30 degrees higher than what is typical for early December. High temperatures will likely reach the 60s and 70s across Kansas. That warmth will taper to the east on Friday, and high temperatures this weekend – before rain starts – will be 10 to 20 degrees above average from the south and rise well into the northeast.
The heat will be gradually dissipated by a colder air mass over the weekend. Colliding air masses will produce severe storms, including possibly some tornadoes in parts of the South, concerns about flooding from Florida to Maine, and a mix of snow and ice in parts of the Northeast.
Here you can expect extreme weather.
A few tornadoes are possible in the south.
The storm will begin to strengthen late Friday evening just west of the Mississippi River, with severe storms that could produce hail in eastern Oklahoma and most of Arkansas.
Scattered severe thunderstorms are more likely during the day Saturday in an area stretching from Memphis to Houston. These storms could bring damaging winds, hail and possibly some tornadoes. While it may seem crazy to think about tornadoes in December, this cluster of southern states is, on average, the area of the country with the most tornadoes this month.
There is a widespread risk of flooding.
These thunderstorms will also bring useful rainfall to the south, which is experiencing drought. Even though the area may receive 1 to 3 inches of rain, the ground and streambeds are so dry that the risk of flooding, while possible, remains at a lower risk level.
On Sunday, the influx of moisture will push into the eastern United States, delivering rain from Florida to Maine. The above-average amount of moisture in the air should lead to a low flood risk over large parts of the region. However, the storm will move through so quickly that rainfall amounts will likely be limited, limiting overall flood risk in most areas.
More than 40 daily precipitation records from the Mid-Atlantic to New England will be challenged Sunday.
Winter weather returns on Sunday evening.
As colder air pushes through Sunday and Monday, rain will change to a wintry mix and snow, most likely affecting the higher elevations of the Appalachians and the interior Northeast.
A quick reminder that despite the warm weekend, we are indeed moving deeper into winter.