Weather

Warmer across the Heartland, wet on the Plains

Below-normal temperatures will continue to dominate much of the country, although a brief, mid-to late week surge of warmth will spread from the Northwest to the nation’s mid-section in advance of a Pacific storm system. The Pacific storm will result in widespread Northwestern showers, with 5-day totals locally reaching 1 to 3 inches. During the weekend, showers and thunderstorms associated with the Pacific system will develop across the Plains. Meanwhile, a slow-moving storm system emerging from the Southwest will produce significant rainfall, starting today across southern portions of the Rockies and Plains. The heaviest rain will shift into the western and central Gulf Coast States on Thursday and the Southeast on May 20-21. Five-day totals could reach 2 to 4 inches from Texas to the southern Atlantic States.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of above-normal temperatures in most areas from the Plains to the East Coast, while cooler-than-normal conditions will cover the West. Meanwhile, below-normal precipitation in the East and the Southwest will contrast with wetter-than- normal weather in the Northwest and from the Plains into the Mississippi Valley.

5-Day Precipitation Totals

NOAA’s 6- to 10- Day Outlook

NOAA’s 8- to 14- Day Outlook