Limited Northern Showers Through the Weekend

In the Midwest, two clippers moved through earlier this week and two more will move through at the end of the week and weekend. The weekend clipper will pull down some significant cold air, leading to areas of heavy lake-effect snow south and southeast of the Great Lakes. Drought coverage remains across large portions of the region from Missouri through Michigan, areas that have been missed by the more active rainfall patterns to the south.

In the Northern Plains, a pair of clippers moved through earlier this week. Another is moving through on Thursday and yet one more will move through for Friday and Saturday. The clippers are not producing much precipitation but could lead to light accumulating snow on Saturday. Drought is limited in the region but growing ever so slowly.

In the Central and Southern Plains, it was dry this week as the storm track was to the north. Some showers may go through Nebraska on Saturday, but most areas of the region will stay dry through much of next week as well. Areas across Texas continue to trend toward increasing drought and other areas are tenuous with dryness increasing in areas that failed to see heavy rain. We may see drought increasing if the weather pattern does not promote more rainfall later in November.

In the Delta, it was dry this week with the storm track across the north. A pair of clippers will move across the Midwest on Friday and the weekend, and their fronts may produce some isolated showers. Drought has eased for much of the region, but the drier pattern this week and next week may allow that to grow back again.

In the Southeast, drought remains a significant problem, especially in Alabama and Georgia into northern Florida. Other areas of the region have seen heavier precipitation and reduced drought. It was drier this week though with the storm track across the north. A pair of fronts will move through on Friday night and Sunday and may produce scattered showers. Drier weather will follow for next week though, which may lead to increasing drought again.

In the Western U.S., a trough off the West Coast has bombarded the Pacific Northwest with multiple systems this week, leading to some heavy precipitation amounts along the Cascades and Coastal ranges and even the far northern Rockies. Precipitation has been more limited for the interior valleys, however. One more system will move through northern areas on Friday with heavier precipitation in the mountains before a stretch of drier weather is forecast into the middle of next week. A larger system may move into the region later next week with more widespread precipitation being possible. Southwestern areas that were dry this week could use some more precipitation to battle the persistent drought.

John Baranick can be reached at john.baranick@dtn.com