Weather
Moisture for the Heartland to start the New Year
For the remainder of New Year’s Eve, a winter storm will produce snow and freezing rain across portions of the central and southern Plains. As 2020 ends, wintry precipitation will also overspread the southern Corn Belt.
Meanwhile, heavy rain and locally severe thunderstorms will spread northeastward from the western Gulf Coast region. Across the South, the threat for severe weather will persist into New Year’s Day.
Storm-total precipitation could reach 1 to 4 inches across the South, excluding Florida’s peninsula. From the Midwest into the Northeast, the first day of 2021 will feature snow and freezing rain.
During the weekend and early next week, the focus for heavy precipitation will shift to the Northwest, with significant rain and high-elevation snow extending inland to the northern Rockies and southward into northern California.
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for above-normal temperatures from the Plains to the East Coast, except for near-normal temperatures in Florida, while cooler-than-normal conditions will prevail in California and environs.
Meanwhile, near- or above-normal precipitation across most of the country should contrast with drier-than-normal weather in the Northeast and across Florida’s peninsula.