Friday's Weather Outlook

Frigid air begins its trek southward into the Central and Eastern U.S. on Friday, bringing snow chances for many.

A strong cold front will move south and eastward out of the northern Plains and into the eastern two-thirds of the nation. Along with it, there will be another clipper system dropping light to moderate snowfall in the Midwest and Great Lakes. Most will see a trace to 3 inches of snow with higher totals likely in lake effect snow prone locations of Michigan. This activity will weaken as it gets into the Northeast, but small totals are possible in northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and western to northern New York.

On the periphery of the cold front, a weak low-pressure system will form in Tennessee late into the night. Light rain will be likely for lower elevation locations of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Snow will be prevalent for the middle to high terrain of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia, with light to moderate snowfall totals likely.

In the bulk of the cold air, snow showers and strong winds will drift through the central and northern Plains. The snow showers will eventually make it into the Midwest in the early evening, dropping coatings of snow as they go.

The Southeast and Deep South will be mostly dry with a couple isolated rain showers in the forecast later in the day.

Lingering snowfall will be ongoing in New England in the morning and will exit before midday. Dry conditions will be the story the rest of the day.

High pressure continues in the Western U.S., with quiet weather expected for the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, Rocky Mountains, Four Corners, and Desert Southwest.

Single digits are expected for northern New England and the furthest north sections of the northern Plains. Teens and 20s will be found in the Northeast, southern New England, northern Mid-Atlantic, northern Plains to central Plains, Upper Midwest, and high terrain of the Rockies. A mix of 30s and 40s will be common in the Lower Midwest, Ohio Valley, southern Mid-Atlantic, eastern Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Four Corners.

Forties and 50s are in store for the northern half of the southern Plains, Southeast, Mid-South, northern to central Florida, and western Pacific Northwest. Warmer 50s and 60s will be common in the Deep South, southern half of the southern Plains, southern Florida, and central to southern West Coast. Extreme southern Texas will see 70s as well as the Desert Southwest. An 80-degree temperature reading or two will be possible in the most arid locations of the Desert Southwest.