Weather across America

(NATIONAL) Unsettled weather to continue across the Pacific Northwest, thunderstorms and warm weather to return to the Central U.S., and cooler-than-average weather to linger across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

Radar and satellite imagery Sunday night depict a swath of rainfall steadily approaching the Oregon and Washington coastline in what can best be described as a dreary and unsettled pattern across the Pacific Northwest, with little reprieve expected for the next several days. A train of disturbances on the fringe of a strong upper ridge are forecast to strengthen moist Pacific flow into much of the Northwest, which should result in increasing rainfall coverage and intensity beginning Sunday. 

The steady moderate to locally heavy rain and mountain snowfall is expected to persist into the work week, resulting in areal liquid precipitation totals of 1-3" over western Washington and Oregon through Tuesday. There is a low-end flooding risk (level 1/4 on the WPC Excessive Rainfall Outlook) with this activity Sunday across portions of the Pacific Northwest as the steady rain could combine with melting snowpack in the region to yield isolated floods.

Otherwise, expect mild temperatures in the 50's across the Northwest beneath the shield of clouds and rain, while much of the Intermountain West and Plains warms up considerably into the 70's and 80's as the strong ridge builds overhead. In fact, the forecast for Monday and Tuesday highlights the potential for a few daily high temperature records to be challenged over the High Plains and Southwest. 

The warming weather combined with a few weak disturbances will also support thunderstorm chances into next week over the Plains and Mississippi Valley. A few storms today could be severe across portions of west Texas and eastern New Mexico, primarily for isolated wind and hail according to the Storm Prediction Center. 

In stark contrast to warm weather and thunderstorms across the Heartland, much of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast looks to remain under unseasonably cool and increasingly dry weather as surface high pressure over the Northeast sinks south. While not record breaking, the most anomalously cool temperatures will focus over the Mid-Atlantic, with daytime highs hovering in the 50's-60's and overnight lows in the 30's-40's. 

Fans of warmer weather will not have to wait too long, however, as temperatures are forecast to rebound into the 70's looking ahead toward midweek as the high pressure modifies. Unsettled weather could also make a return to the Gulf by midweek as area of low pressure forms in the Gulf of Mexico, although the details for specifics are nebulous right now.