Weekend Weather Preview for 03-22-25
Although a few smaller storms will pop up, another burgeoning cross-country storm is brewing to break any weekend monotony.
Saturday
The major weather story to open Saturday will be a low-pressure system revolving over the Northwest into the northern Plains.
At its tail, moderate mountainous snowfall and light lowland showers will persist in precipitating over the Northwestern U.S. through the daytime. At its fore, new snow showers will launch overnight in the far northern Plains ahead of the warm front, with mixed rain and snowstorms dominating the southernmost parts of the warm front similarly to the mid-elevations of the Rockies. Additional nighttime showers, even with thunderstorms, will pop along the cold front in parts of the Lower Midwest.
Another cranny of wintry weather will drag over the interior Northeast under a separate storm's cold front, kicking up morning drizzle, flurries, and a mix of the two from the Great Lakes into Maine. Otherwise, high pressure and dry conditions hold over the U.S. Southern Tier to start the weekend.
High heat coincides with these dry conditions as highs soar into the 70s and 80s in the Deep South, Florida, and the Desert Southwest, with the highest heat focused on Texas and southern Arizona. More moderate 50s and 60s swarm the Northeast Coast, the Mid-Atlantic, southern Appalachia, the Lower Midwest, the High Plains, the southern Intermountain West, and most of the West Coast.
Cooler 40s and 30s line the interior Northeast, the Great Lakes, the far northern Plains, and the northern Intermountain West. The only spots kept below freezing into the 20s will fall in northern Appalachia, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the Rockies.
Sunday
A developing low pressure system will remain the focus on Sunday. This low pressure will slowly drift from the northern Plains into the Great Lakes. There will also be a cold front associated with it that is dragged across the nation’s midsection.
Ahead of the cold front and low pressure, a warm and very humid air mass will be in place over the Midwest, Ohio and Lower Mississippi valleys and southern Plains. Rain showers and thunderstorms will be likely here. The timing is generally in the morning and afternoon for the Midwest, then the afternoon and evening for the Ohio and Lower Mississippi valleys and southern Plains.
There will be the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms, especially across the Lower Mississippi Valley and southern Plains. Within thunderstorms, be prepared for torrential downpours, damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.
Along and to the north of the low pressure, things will get even more complicated. In the morning, there will be a wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain for the northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. This will transition to just snow for the Upper Great Lakes in the afternoon and evening, while rain soaks the Lower Great Lakes.
Meanwhile, a large weather system will remain nearly stationary just off the Northwest coast. This weather system will transport a significant amount of moisture into the Northwest and northern Rockies. Most of Washington and Oregon will see rain showers throughout the day. The exception will be the tallest peaks of the Cascades, where snow will fall. Snow will also be in the forecast throughout much of Idaho and western Montana into northwestern Wyoming.
If you want to head outdoors this weekend, dry weather is expected for a few spots under high pressure. This includes California into the Four Corners states as well as the entire Eastern Seaboard.
Highs will only be in the 20s and 30s for the highest elevations of the Rockies, the Upper Mississippi Valley, the Upper Great Lakes and interior portions of the Northeast. Forties and 50s cover most of the Northwest and Great Basin into the northern half of the Plains, Lower Great Lakes, southern parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Most of the southern half of the U.S. will have temperatures peaking in the 60s and 70s, with 80s in the Desert Southwest, Texas and Florida.
