Prolonged troughing in the Intermountain West and ridging in the Southeast continue to affect the continental United States.
Storm Approaches the West Coast
As the storm approaches the Great Basin, the combination of cold air above and Pacific moisture will concentrate another round of moderate-to-heavy snow possibilities throughout most of the Intermountain West.
A growing storm system off the coast of California will keep bringing Pacific precipitation into Southern California and the Southwest on Friday.
Mountain ranges such as the Cascades, Sawtooth, Wasatch, and both the central and southern Rockies should anticipate 1 to 2 feet of snow by Saturday morning, with totals topping 3 feet in Utah and Colorado's highest altitudes.
Temperatures are dropping on the Plains
Temperatures will fall over the Plains on Friday and into Saturday morning due to another blast of arctic air, with sub-zero temperatures forecast from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Northern Rockies.
Wind chill advisories and warnings are still in force for the far north-central United States through Saturday.
On the warm side of the front, exceptionally warm and humid temperatures will persist across the Southeast through New Year's Day, with much milder conditions moving as far north as the Northeast.
Record High Temperatures on the Gulf Coast
Through Saturday morning, several record high temperatures are forecast from the Gulf Coast to the northern Mid-Atlantic, with some record warm low temps most probable in the Southeast.
Late Friday, precipitation will be funneled into the Mid-South due to troughing in the West and a strong ridge of high pressure over the Southeast.
Severe Weather in the South
The building storm system in the Plains will set the setting for another busy day of severe weather on Friday, with severe weather ranging from North Texas to the southern Appalachians.
The Middle Mississippi and Ohio/Tennessee River Valleys have enough moisture and instability to sustain significant rainfall rates, making flash floods a threat.
As a consequence, Slight Risks for severe storms and flash floods have been issued for these areas on Friday, with worries for nighttime severe weather and localized flooding.
As the storm system responsible for Friday's potential severe weather and flash flooding moves into the South Central United States on Saturday morning, the New Year is expected to start off wintry, with measurable snowfall and an icy wintry mix causing widespread hazardous travel conditions from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes on New Year's Day.
With this coming storm, several inches of precipitation are expected, with 6-8 inches of snowfall possible inside stronger snowfall bands.
According to the WPC Winter Storm Severity Index, significant mixed precipitation is probable south of the heavy snow, resulting in widespread moderate potential winter storm effects throughout the Central Plains and Midwest.
Another busy day of severe weather and Excessive Rainfall in the storm's warm sector is expected in the Mid-South, with another round of severe weather and a moderate danger of Excessive Rainfall from the Ohio/Tennessee River Valleys southwestward.
The advancing system pushes the possibility of heavy rain and severe storms into the Southeast and southern Appalachians by Sunday.
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