Gusty northwest winds will hurl a fresh batch of polar air southward over the Great Plains and Midwest Thursday and Friday.
The cold air invasion will re-ignite lake-effect snow squalls downwind of Lakes Superior, Michigan and Erie with heavy accumulations likely in some locations. Lake-effect snow warnings, watches and advisories have been posted for the areas threatened.
Highs are predicted to range from the teens in northeast North Dakota and northern Minnesota to near 50 along the Kansas-Oklahoma border. A few forecasts: Minneapolis, 26; Chicago, 34; Detroit, 37; and St. Louis, 41.
Heavy lake-effect snow squalls will redevelop off Lakes Erie and Ontario tomorrow as a reinforcing burst of cold air rolls southward.
Outside of the lake-effect bands, snow showers will scamper across West Virginia--especially the mountains--Pennsylvania and the western two-thirds of New York state.
Highs will range from the mid-20s in northern Maine to the low and mid-50s in southeast and south-central Virginia. Some predicted highs: Buffalo, 35; Boston, 38; Charleston, W. Va., and Philadelphia, 43; and Washington, D.C., 46.
A Pacific cold front will punch through the Pacific Northwest and northern California Thursday to deliver a wet, breezy day to western Washington, western Oregon and northwest California.
A few showers will work their way east of the Cascades.
Snow levels in the Cascades will drop sharply, reaching 4000 to 5000 feet by late afternoon and even lower levels by Friday morning.
Farther east, a southward plunge of cold air east of the Rockies will trigger a few snow flurries there, along with some drizzle and freezing drizzle. Denver, for instance, after spring-like warmth today, may suffer freezing drizzle tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, residents of Southern California need to brace for another round of Santa Ana winds--probably weaker than the last round--beginning tomorrow evening as a Sundowner in Santa Barbara County.
Maximum temperatures are forecast to range from around 20 in Glacier National Park to the mid-80s in southwest Arizona and southeast California. A sampling of highs: Billings, 34; Denver, 39; Portland, 51; Salt Lake City, 57; and Sacramento 66.
Temperatures, relative to today, will rise a bit in the southeastern U.S. tomorrow while at the same time dropping in Texas and Oklahoma as a sharp cold front plunges toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Brisk winds will prevail in the mid-South and areas west of the Mississippi River; sunshine will dominate just about everywhere.
Highs are expected to range from the mid-40s in northern Tennessee and the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles to around 80 in far south Texas. Some forecasts: Atlanta, 59; Dallas-Ft. Worth, 65; New Orleans, 72; and Miami, 75.
