US Day 3-7 Hazards Outlook
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
314 PM EST Tue Mar 09 2021
 
Valid Friday March 12 2021 - Tuesday March 16 2021
 
Hazards:
- Heavy precipitation across portions of the Central Plains and the Middle Mississippi Valley, 
Sat-Sun, Mar 13-Mar 14.
- Heavy rain across portions of the Central/Southern Plains, the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley 
and the Tennessee/Ohio Valley, Fri-Sun, Mar 12-Mar 14.
- Heavy rain across portions of the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley, the Tennessee/Ohio Valley, the 
Mid-Atlantic, the Southern Appalachians and the Southeast, Mon-Tue, Mar 15-Mar 16.
- Heavy snow across portions of the Southern/Central Rockies and the Southern/Central Plains, 
Fri-Sat, Mar 12-Mar 13.
- Heavy snow across portions of the Northern/Central Plains and the Middle/Upper Mississippi 
Valley, Sat-Sun, Mar 13-Mar 14.
- Severe weather across portions of the Central/Southern Plains, Fri-Sat, Mar 12-Mar 13.
- Severe weather across portions of the Central/Southern Plains and the Middle/Lower Mississippi 
Valley, Sun, Mar 14.
- Flooding possible across portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley.
- Flooding occurring or imminent across portions of the Southeast, the Lower Mississippi Valley, 
and the Ohio Valley.
- Heavy snow across portions of the Alaska Panhandle, Fri-Sat, Mar 12-Mar 13.
- High winds across portions of the Aleutians, Sat, Mar 13.
 
Detailed Summary:

The main focus for hazardous weather during the medium range period (Friday, March 12th - Tuesday, 
March 16th) will be across the mid-section of the country where a frontal system is forecast to 
become nearly stationary later this week. Warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico will lift 
along the front to result in a multi-day heavy rain event extending from the central Plains to the 
Mid-Mississippi Valley beginning by about Thursday. Meanwhile, a strong upper-level low is forecast 
to move through the Southwest towards the stationary front across the Plains through the weekend. 
The increasingly vigorous dynamics ahead of the upper low will raise the possibility of severe 
weather in addition to the heavy rain threat over the central to southern Plains beginning on 
Thursday and continuing through the weekend. Current indications are that cyclogenesis is expected 
over the central Plains and would lead to an increasing chance for heavy snow to impact areas from 
the Front Range into the central High Plains Friday into Saturday.

Meanwhile ahead of this developing low pressure system, much milder than normal conditions will 
overspread the eastern portion of the country later this week before a cold front brings down 
cooler air from eastern Canada by the weekend. In contrast, daytime temperatures will be much 
colder than normal across the central High Plains due to high pressure set up over the Rockies. 
This will contribute to the heavy snow threat across the Central Plains.

In Alaska, a cold high pressure system under upper-level northwesterly flow behind an upper trough 
will keep temperatures much below normal for southwestern Alaska into late this week. A low 
pressure system moving towards the Alaska Panhandle should bring heavy snow to the mountains of the 
southern Panhandle while mixed rain and snow is forecast for the lower elevations. Farther west, 
another deep low pressure system is expected to track north into the Bering Sea during the weekend, 
bringing the likelihood of high winds across the western Aleutians on Saturday. As this system 
continues to edge eastward, blizzard conditions are forecast to impact the western portion of 
mainland Alaska on Sunday with snow and blowing snow under gusty south to southeasterly winds. A 
warming trend is forecast for the North Slope of Alaska later in the weekend into early next week 
but the warmth is not expected to be hazardous at this time.

Kebede/Kong