US Day 3-7 Hazards Outlook
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
211 PM EST Tue Jan 28 2020
 
Valid Friday January 31 2020 - Tuesday February 04 2020
 
Hazards:
- Heavy precipitation across portions of the Pacific Northwest, Fri-Mon, Jan 31-Feb 3.
- Flooding occurring or imminent across portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley, the Lower 
Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley, and the Northern Plains.
- Heavy precipitation across portions of the Alaska Panhandle, mainland Alaska, and the Aleutians, 
Fri-Mon, Jan 31-Feb 3.
- High winds across portions of mainland Alaska and the Aleutians, Sat-Sun, Feb 1-Feb 2.
- Much below normal temperatures across portions of mainland Alaska, Fri-Mon, Jan 31-Feb 3.
 
Detailed Summary:

Alaska can expect an active forecast in the medium range period (Friday through Tuesday). First, a 
low pressure system will produce high winds and heavy precipitation in the Panhandle for late in 
the workweek. Most of the precipitation is expected to be snow, but rain is possible right along 
the coast. Then another strong low pressure system is forecast to move west to east across the 
Aleutians this weekend into Monday, spreading high winds and heavy precipitation along and ahead of 
it. The heavy precipitation will first affect the Aleutians this weekend, then the Gulf of Alaska 
coast Sunday into Monday, and possibly into the Panhandle once again on Monday. Additionally, with 
upper-level troughing over the state, colder than normal temperatures are expected across much of 
the mainland. By Sunday into Monday, ridging starts building into the southwestern part of the 
state, so temperatures should rise there.

Over the contiguous U.S., generally quiet weather is forecast. A persistent plume of moisture will 
take aim at the Pacific Northwest, which should lead to heavy snow in higher elevations of the 
Cascades and localized heavy rain in lower elevations. Some precipitation could spread into the 
Northern Rockies as well. The upper-level pattern through the end of the week will consist of a 
trough progressing from the central U.S. into the eastern U.S., while a ridge moves into the 
western U.S. and eastward behind it. Warmer than average temperatures should be common under the 
ridge, with temperature anomalies of 20 degrees or more above normal forecast for the north-central 
U.S. spreading into the Plains and Midwest. However, this is not currently expected to pose a 
hazard, as rapid snowmelt does not seem a major possibility, with high temperatures not too far 
above freezing and without rain forecast to fall on snowpack. Then ahead of the upper trough, low 
systems are expected to spin up in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic this weekend and move 
northeastward. Models have trended more offshore with these features over the past day or two, far 
enough away from the Eastern Seaboard to lead to less precipitation there, so no heavy 
precipitation area was delineated. But the possibility for some precipitation (in the form of snow 
in the Northeast) remains, so this will continued to be monitored.


Tate/Kebede