Christmas came with a “very dangerous” atmospheric river storm in the Los Angeles area and more wild weather is expected across the U.S. this holiday week, according to the National Weather Service.
“There remains a slight risk of excessive rainfall over parts of Southern California and a marginal risk for flash flooding for northern California on Friday,” the service said in a Thursday update.
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue to move across the state. In the northern and central parts of California, some heavy snow in the high terrain is possible.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel as the surface cold front looks to clear the area late Friday and bring much appreciated improving weather conditions on Saturday and Sunday,” the NWS added.
While rain and flooding are the main concerns for Californians, Upper Midwesterners and people in the Northeast could see ice and heavy snow Friday.
“The northern tier of the country will see snow and ice chances this afternoon into the overnight period, especially over Michigan, where a quarter of an inch of ice is possible from forming freezing rain,” per the NWS Christmas Day forecast. “Impacts from freezing rain will increase over western Pennsylvania and the northern Mid-Atlantic tomorrow. This includes major urban areas like Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. For areas farther north from New Jersey to Massachusetts, 4-8 inches of snowfall is forecast on Friday with more or less amounts locally.”
For those traveling back home from holiday celebrations, road conditions are expected to be “treacherous,” the NWS noted.
While motorists in the northern part of the U.S. deal with icy roads, “record warmth” is hanging around the southern Plaines to the Tennessee Valley. According to the NWS, “high temperatures in the upper 70s to the low 80s will be possible from Texas to the Carolinas,” and into the valley going into the weekend.
“Many cities could break or near record warm high temperatures each day, some records going as far back as the 1880s,” it said. “Low temperatures will also be warm in the upper 50s to low 60s. This December soupy airmass will bring chances for fog each day along the Gulf Coast, some which may be locally dense and bring low visibility.”