Wednesday's Weather Outlook

The eastern half of the U.S will get a visit from Old Man Winter on Wednesday, with chilly, snowy weather in the forecast. Drier and much more settled conditions are expected in the West.

A large weather system will drop south and east across the north-central and northeastern U.S. for the middle of the week. This weather system will combine with lake-effect snow over the Great Lakes to provide a snowy forecast.

Light to moderate snowfall will mainly be confined east-southeast of the Great Lakes as well as the northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley during the morning. Snow will spread to the Midwest, Ohio Valley and most of the Northeast during the afternoon and evening. While most places see little to no snow accumulation, higher amounts are likely given some enhancement from the very warm Great Lakes.

Temperatures will be warmer for a rain/snow mix across the Tennessee Valley into Appalachia. Expect mainly rain showers for coastal portions of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.

By later in the evening, a clipper-type system will enter the northern High Plains. This system will allow for flurries or light snow showers for eastern Montana, northeastern Wyoming and the western Dakotas. There could even be some freezing drizzle or very light freezing rain that mixes in at times.

Meanwhile, a front that has been stalled over the south-central U.S. over the past few days will slowly drift northeast on Wednesday. Rain showers and a few thunderstorms are in the forecast for the far southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley.

Mother Nature will continue to provide a sharp contrast in temperatures across the U.S. Unseasonably mild weather will be found throughout most of the West. The north-central U.S. and the Eastern U.S. will experience chilly, below normal temperatures.

Highs for the day will occur early in the day for the northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. Temperatures will fall from the 20s and 30s into single digits and teens. Elsewhere, temperatures will follow a typical pattern with high temperatures occurring in the afternoon. Expect 20s and 30s for most of the Mountain West as well as the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest, Appalachia and the Northeast.

Forties and 50s cover the lowest elevations of the Mountain West into the central Plains, Tennessee Valley, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Highs in the 60s and 70s will be reported across California and the Desert Southwest into the southern Plains and Gulf Coast.