Weather across America

(NATIONAL) Critical fire weather conditions continue across the fire-ravaged region of southern California, a clipper system to bring snow showers to the Great Lakes and arctic air to upper Midwest, and rain for the Gulf states.

The weather pattern across North America will favor a resurgence of arctic air across the northern and eastern U.S. early in the week. The latest wave of arctic air will continue to overspread the northern Plains and into the upper Midwest behind a low pressure system that is forecast to track across the Great Lakes through Sunday night. Up to a few inches of new snow can be expected across the upper Midwest, but for locations near Lake Superior and downwind from Lake Michigan, 8 inches to possibly a foot of snow could fall due to enhancement effects from the relatively mild lake waters.  

The lake-effect/enhanced snow will make a comeback for the Snow Belt of the lower Great Lakes by Monday and into Tuesday behind an arctic front with locally more than a foot of new snow possible. 

Up to a couple of inches of snow can also be expected across the Ohio Valley with a few inches possible over West Virginia following the passage of the arctic front. Given the renewed surge of arctic cold in its wake, high temperatures will struggle to reach into the single digits and teens across the northern Plains into Monday, spreading into the Ohio Valley by Tuesday.  

A clipper-like low pressure system will bring a swath of light snow from the northern High Plains toward the Midwest Monday night into Tuesday, along with a reinforcing surge of arctic air into the northern Plains. Meanwhile, snow showers are expected to linger across portions of the northern Rockies into the High Plains through tonight and into much of Monday ahead of the stationary portion of the arctic front with a foot of new snow possible mainly near mountain peaks. Fire weather will remain a high concern across fire-ravaged region of southern California.  

A resurgence of gusty winds is forecast tonight into Monday across southern California as mid-level impulses sink south across the western U.S., allowing for a re-tightening of the surface pressure gradient and gusty downslope/offshore winds from the Desert Southwest into southern California into Tuesday. Along the Gulf Coast, an area of low pressure forming along a tightening frontal boundary over the open Gulf waters will track eastward edging toward the central Gulf Coast region.

Rain is expected to expand and steadily move east across the central Gulf states through Sunday night. By Monday morning, rain will spread across the Florida Panhandle into portions of southern Alabama/Georgia but rainfall intensity will diminish throughout the day on Monday. While some light rain may continue over Florida near a frontal boundary Tuesday morning, much of the U.S. will see relatively quiet weather.