Weather

A wet, active pattern ahead for much of the Heartland

Looking ahead, a low-pressure system centered over the southeastern Plains will reach the Northeast by Saturday. Meanwhile, a storm system affecting the Northwest will arrive in the nation’s mid-section during the weekend. The second system has the potential to produce a significant severe weather outbreak from April 26-28, starting on the central and southern Great Plains and eventually reaching the middle and lower Mississippi Valley. Five-day rainfall totals could reach 2 to 5 inches in the middle and lower Mississippi Valley and neighboring regions. Amounts could reach 1 to 2 inches across the northern Plains and Intermountain West. Cold weather will trail the second storm across the northern and western U.S.

The 6- to 10-day outlook calls for below-normal temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., except for warmer-than-normal weather in southern Florida. Warm weather will also cover the West. Meanwhile, near- to below-normal precipitation across the majority of the nation will contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions in the Pacific Northwest and from the eastern Gulf Coast States northward into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region.

5-Day Precipitation Totals

NOAA’s 6- to 10- Day Outlook

NOAA’s 8- to 14- Day Outlook