Monstrous Storm Could Bring Combination of Blizzards, Severe Storms To Central U.S.

[Webster]

AccuWeather: Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week

A much more dynamic and volatile weather pattern is looming for the United States as the atmosphere begins to shift gears following a quieter start to December. By early next week, numerous small, weak disturbances will be replaced by one massive storm that could wreak havoc on cross-country travel as well as pose a significant threat to lives and property, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

"The stage is being set for extreme weather conditions over the U.S. next week, especially for the middle of the nation," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. This week's weather will feature impacts from a series of weak storms that will deliver drenching rain from the south-central region to the Atlantic coast and stripes of snow from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast.

One of the foundational pieces of next week's storm was located thousands of miles west of North America on Wednesday. A large storm loaded with moisture over the northern Pacific was forecast to swing toward Alaska late this week then southeastward toward the western United States this weekend.

From this weekend to next week, the jet stream will change from its current nearly west-to-east configuration to a very convoluted setup that favors at least one major storm.

The first phase of that storm will unfold this weekend, as it brings a substantial amount of rain to coastal areas and lower elevations and mountain snow to the Pacific coast. As the storm then moves across the Rockies, it will remain potent before it eventually reorganizes into a monstrous system by early next week over the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley.

 

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If anyone here is from those areas, be safe out there!

 

[Webster]

Weather Underground: Severe Thunderstorms In The South Could Include Tornadoes, Damaging Winds, Large Hail

Severe thunderstorms in the South next week could spawn tornadoes in addition to destructive wind gusts, large hail and flash flooding.

The Severe Weather Instigator
An energetic storm system will track into the middle of the country by Tuesday, where it will gather increasing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

That warm, moist air in combination with the storm's strong upper-level winds will create a volatile environment that'll fuel the formation of numerous thunderstorms that could produce severe weather. This same weather pattern will also give rise to a winter storm in other parts of the country.

What To Expect
Tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds and large hail are all in play as potential threats. Since we are still a few days away, the magnitude of each of those threats is still a bit uncertain.

Below is a general outlook showing where there's the highest confidence of severe weather Tuesday and Wednesday, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.

-Tuesday-Tuesday night: eastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee
-Wednesday-Wednesday night: southeastern Louisiana into southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle

Keep in mind the location of these threat areas could shift in the coming days once the exact timing becomes more certain. Heavy rain might also raise the risk of flash flooding in much of the South from Tuesday through Thursday.