The last day of 2020 will see dual storms bringing snow and ice, as well as severe weather with hail, potential damaging winds and tornadoes, while the first week of January brings above average temperatures to most of nation.
Travel conditions are going to be hazardous across a large swath of the US on both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day courtesy of a pair of storms. Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued from coast-to-coast.
The Texas Department of Transportation was preparing roadways in advance of the winter weather. Texas is expected to see extremes today from snow and ice, to flooding rain and potential tornadoes.
Parts of the southern US, particularly the Gulf states are under threat from severe weather, where thunderstorms with heavy rain could bring the potential of flash flooding, as well as large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes. Wind gusts could reach as high as 70 mph in some areas.
For the South as a whole, a threat of flooding extends from Eastern Texas northward into Oklahoma and Arkansas, while the potential for severe weather and tornadoes stretches from Texas along the Gulf Coast to the Florida Panhandle, as well is into the southern and central regions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Tornado watch: southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
Wind advisory: southern and southeast Texas; southwest Louisiana; southern, southwestern and south-central California.
Flash flood watch: eastern Texas; northwestern Louisiana; Arkansas.
On both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, a large swath of the country will see snow and ice. Here’s a look at the snow forecast and alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) for December 31.
Winter storm warning: northeast Oregon; southeast and eastern Washington; northern Idaho; southeastern New Mexico; western and central Texas; central Oklahoma; northwestern and eastern Missouri; west-central Illinois.
Northwest: Snow for most of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, as well as western and northeastern Montana and into western Wyoming.
West: Snow over portions of east central California, central and eastern Nevada, and most of Utah.
Southwest: Snow over northwestern Arizona.
Central US: Snow for western Texas, as well as northern and northwestern North Dakota.
Northeast: Snow over central New York, northern New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as southeastern and western Maine.
A wide band of freezing rain will extend from Texas and the central US diagonally and eastward into Ohio on Thursday.
The National Weather Service has issued a freezing rain warning for the following areas: Central and northern Texas; Oklahoma; northern Arkansas; the eastern half of Kansas; Missouri; central and southern Illinois; southern Indiana; southern Ohio; northern Kentucky.
According to the latest 6-10 day outlook predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), better than half the nation should see above average temperatures between January 4-8, 2021, MLive reported. The warmer weather should be good news for people who seek arthritis finger pain treatment as more mild temperatures could diminish arthritis discomfort for many people.
The eastern edges of the West and everything to the east has a 33-90 percent probability of above average temperatures.
The warmest temperatures will be around the Great Lakes region with 90 percent probability, while 60%-70% chances for portions of the central US and into the northeast.
Oppositely, the highest probability for below-normal temperatures is in the West, with a 40-55% chance for Southern California, southern Nevada, eastern Arizona and southwestern Utah. Other portions of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Colorado have at least a 33% chance of below normal temperatures.
Other parts of the West and Florida are expected to see temperatures in the normal range.
