Stormy, wintry weather pattern may set up over eastern U.S. next week. [View all]

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Powerhouse storm could slam parts of Midwest while sending heavy rains surging up the East Coast.

'On the heels of one of the warmest Novembers on record in parts of the eastern U.S., the weather pattern is primed to flip to a colder and stormier one to start December.

Computer models are consistently advertising the potential for a pair of storm systems next week that could produce heavy precipitation and some of the chilliest air of the season in their wake.

The first storm, which could be particularly intense, is projected to take an inland track early next week, from the Gulf of Mexico toward the eastern Great Lakes. Such a track would draw up enough warm air for mostly rain along the East Coast. But interior locations in the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes could see their first significant snow.

There’s some chance for a second storm to develop slightly to the east of the first one around Dec. 3 or 4, opening up the possibility for wintry precipitation closer to the East Coast.

The first storm: Early next week

An upper-level disturbance ejecting from the Desert Southwest will help spark the development of a storm system near the Louisiana Gulf Coast late in the weekend.

Computer models agree that it will tap substantial moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and produce heavy rainfall in the South and Southeast from Sunday into Monday.

The plot thickens Monday when this gulf storm turns north and merges with jet stream energy diving south from the Upper Midwest. The storm may intensify and draw in very cold air on its western side, while funneling heavy rain northward to the east.

The European (ECMWF) weather model forecasts a powerhouse storm, possibly meeting the criteria for a bomb cyclone because of its rate of intensification (a pressure drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours), over eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania by Monday afternoon.

Near and east of the storm center, including much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, heavy rain is projected. To the west, heavy snow is shown in western Ohio, eastern Indiana, Michigan and eastern Kentucky. A storm this powerful would also be a big wind generator, creating the possibility of blowing snow and power outages.'>>>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/25/winter-storm-pattern-eastern-us/?