Wednesday's Weather Outlook

After an overall quieter day of weather on Tuesday, Mother Nature brings a soggy, snowy forecast to the Northeast and Southwest on Wednesday.

A series of clipper-type systems will impact the north-central and northeastern U.S. on Wednesday. One system will impact the Lower Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and interior Northeast in the morning and afternoon. The other system will drop into the northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley in the morning, before heading into the entire Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley during the afternoon and evening.

Both systems will bring some snow with them. Most spots will see generally light accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. However, depending on the exact wind direction, some snow will be enhanced by the warm Great Lakes, so heavier lake-effect snow will be possible. The western slopes of the central Appalachians will likely see more snow as will places east and southeast of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, such as Erie, Pa., and Buffalo, Watertown and Syracuse, N.Y.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the nation, an upper-level low pressure system will move into the southwestern U.S. Moisture from this system will creep into southern California during the morning, which will spread to the rest of California, the Great Basin and Southwest for the rest of the day. Mild temperatures are associated with this system, so snow will be limited to the tallest portions of the Sierra Nevada and the mountainous region of central Nevada. All other places will just see occasional showers.

A ridge of high pressure will build over the Rockies, which will foster dry weather for the Rockies and central/southern Plains. The Southeast and Northwest will also be free of any weather concerns for the middle of the week.

Cold, below normal temperatures are in store for the north-central U.S. as well as the Eastern Seaboard. The San Francisco Bay area southward into southern California will also be unseasonably cool given the chances for rain. Otherwise, the rest of the western half of the U.S. will experience near to above normal temperatures.

Expect mainly single digits and teens for the far northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, Upper Great Lakes and interior Northeast. Though, some spots right along the U.S.-Canada border could see high temperatures remain below zero. Twenties, 30s and lower 40s are anticipated for the rest of the Upper Midwest, southern New England and northern portions of the Mid-Atlantic. The Mountain West will also record highs in the 30s and 40s. Milder 50s and 60s will be found along the Pacific Northwest into California along with the central and southern Plains, the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast.