Spring thunderstorms sparking severe weather and tornadoes are possible today and Friday from the Southern Plains to the South. While thunderstorms are ongoing this morning, the main severe weather begins later today in Texas and Oklahoma as thunderstorms intensify.

**Today’s severe risk**

![Today's thunderstorm outlook](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Today_s_thunderstorm_outlook_199b7066fe.jpeg)

Thunderstorms begin to really intensify early this afternoon just west of I-35 in Texas and Oklahoma. Storms in this area will intensify becoming severe producing very large hail, damaging straight line winds, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding from early afternoon west of I-35 to areas along and east of I-35 from mid to late afternoon and continuing into the evening hours.

**Today's thunderstorm hazards**

![Today's thunderstorm hazards](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Today_s_thunderstorm_hazards_2c65564459.jpeg)

Storms will gradually shift east and develop farther east this evening and tonight in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and western Mississippi.

Because of the severe risk, the Storm Prediction Center has a level 3 of 5 severe risk for the Red River Valley of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. This does include the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex where there’s a higher chance for damaging hail and tornadoes. Storms will move into the heart of DFW during rush hour which will be a major concern due to the very large hail and potential for tornadoes.

**Friday’s severe risk**

![Friday's thunderstorm outlook](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_thunderstorm_outlook_7547cfa0d4.jpeg)

The severe threat continues tonight and Friday for locations farther south and east. The Gulf Coast states from Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle will see the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging straight line winds and isolated tornadoes throughout the day Friday beginning early Friday afternoon continuing into the late afternoon hours.

There’s a level 2 of 5 severe risk for these areas due to the severe risk extending along the I-10 corridor south to the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida.

Today's thunderstorm hazards

Spring thunderstorms sparking severe weather and tornadoes are possible today and Friday from the Southern Plains to the South. While thunderstorms are ongoing this morning, the main severe weather begins later today in Texas and Oklahoma.

Damaging spring thunderstorms likely today and Friday, tornadoes possible

Another atmospheric river is set to bring flooding to California Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.

The additional heavy rain, paired with the already saturated soils, and continued snowmelt will create a high risk for flooding in parts of California that could lead to "catastrophic flooding" according to NWS Weather Prediction Center.

**Atmospheric river key takeaways**

![Atmospheric river key takeaways](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Atmospheric_river_key_takeaways_64bf3897df.jpeg)

The biggest impacts from the atmospheric river will arrive Tuesday continuing into early Wednesday as the moisture moves onshore. Heavy rain will be the biggest concern with a couple to several inches of rain falling from Los Angeles County north. The foothills communities will see 3-6 inches of rain with isolated higher amounts favoring the southwest-facing slopes of the foothills and mountains. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento can expect 1-3 inches of rain with 3/4 - 1 1/4 inch for San Diego. The snow level will be above 8,000 feet in southern California and 7,000 feet in the Sierras where feet of snow are expected for the highest peaks.

**Precipitation forecast**

![Precipitation forecast](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Precipitation_forecast_be7537a0ab.png)

As mentioned, with the additional heavy rain, there's a high risk of flooding, landslides, and mudslides. 

**Tuesday flood risk**

![**Tuesday flood risk**](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_flood_risk_175f2add96.png)

![**Tuesday flood risk**](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_flood_risk_089956536b.jpeg)

Never cross a road covered by water. If you live in an area that's recently seen flooding or heavy rain, please be aware of your surroundings and be ready to move to higher ground.

**Tuesday flood risk**

The additional heavy rain, paired with the already saturated soils, and continued snowmelt will create a high risk for flooding in parts of California that could lead to catastrophic flooding.

An atmospheric river will bring a 'high risk' for flooding to California

After relatively mild temperatures compared to normal for much of this winter, a surge of cold air is reminding everyone across the South that it is indeed still astronomical winter (although spring is just a week away).

The mild temperatures as of late potentially have inspired people to plant gardens and flowers a little bit earlier than they normally would. If you're one of those people, you want to make sure you protect your plants over the next few nights as many folks will see at least a frost, with a widespread freeze also expected, as temperatures fall into the 20s and 30s.

Areas expected to see a frost and/or freeze are going almost as far south as I-10 where there are currently frost and freeze alerts in effect for these areas and areas north of I-10 over the next couple of nights.

**Current frost/freeze alerts**

![Current frost/freeze alerts](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/freeze_alerts_8e3c0e5431.png)

Temperatures Monday night are expected to dip to freezing down to around I-20 in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. 

**Monday night temperatures**

![Monday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Monday_night_temperatures_3ab33f1107.png)

The freezing line dips even farther south on Tuesday night with temperatures at or below freezing almost as far south as I-10 in Mississippi and Alabama and even central and south Georgia and possibly coastal areas of South Carolina seeing a freeze.

**Tuesday night temperatures**

![Tuesday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Tuesday_night_temperatures_6f758fd6fe.png)

Temperatures begin to moderate Wednesday night but an additional freeze is expected for northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, and upstate South Carolina.

**Wednesday night temperatures**

![Wednesday night temperatures](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Wednesday_night_temperatures_d0a061b66a.png)

Bundle up, bring the pets inside, and protect those plants!

Current frost/freeze alerts

Protect the plants, many folks will see a freeze with temperatures falling into the 20s and 30s.

Winter making a comeback in the South: widespread freeze likely

A potent winter storm will slam the Northeast beginning Monday with impacts continuing Tuesday and into Wednesday bringing heavy snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding.

The nor'easter will have the biggest impacts late Monday and throughout the day Tuesday across the Northeast. While there are still some questions about the track of the system and the timing of the intensity, extreme impacts are forecast for parts of New England. The exact track will be crucial in just how big the impacts are for the I-95 corridor. The closer the storm track to the coast, the farther west away from I-95 the worst impacts will be; whereas, if the storm tracks a little farther away from the coast, it'll shift the bigger impacts east toward the I-95 corridor across the Northeast.

![Nor'easter timing and track forecast](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Nor_easter_timing_and_track_forecast_c18ca874e2.png)

The current forecast calls for significant, widespread wet snow accumulations from New York into New England. This is where a widespread half a foot to a foot of snow is expected with some isolated areas receiving two feet or more of snow. The current forecast track would allow for New York City to get 1 to 3 inches of snow and Boston to see 4 to 8 inches of snow.

**Snowfall forecast through Wednesday morning**

![Snowfall forecast through Wednesday morning](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Snowfall_forecast_through_Wednesday_morning_155542c31b.jpeg)

Strong wind gusts are also possible as the system intensifies off the coast of New England. Wind gusts could approach 40 mph in New York City and potentially 55 mph in Boston with coastal areas approaching 60 mph. Gusts this high will cause power outages and help contribute to coastal flooding due to the strong onshore winds and lower atmospheric pressure over the region. 

![Maximum wind gust forecast through Wednesday afternoon](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Maximum_wind_gust_forecast_through_Wednesday_afternoon_c9cd71a417.jpeg)

Numerous weather alerts are in effect for the region including Winter Storm Warnings, High Wind Watches, and Coastal Flood Advisories.

Snowfall forecast through Wednesday morning

A potent winter storm will slam the Northeast beginning Monday with impacts continuing Tuesday and into Wednesday bringing heavy snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding.

A potent nor'easter will slam New England this week

The battle of the season continues with winter and spring dueling one another and this will bring high-impact weather to millions across the United States over the coming days.

**Another atmospheric river to slam California bringing more flooding**

California cannot catch a break. Another atmospheric river is set to bring heavy rain to the state early this upcoming week which will lead to additional flooding in areas that are already under a state of emergency.

Additional spotty precipitation is expected for the remainder of this weekend with the heaviest activity focused on central and northern parts of the state but the next atmospheric river is already setting up near Hawaii and will move toward California Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this upcoming week.

Despite a brief decrease in the intensity and coverage of the precipitation this weekend, flooding is still expected as runoff and snowmelt continue. Because of the risk, flood alerts continue for millions in California. Additional flood alerts are expected to be issued for most of California from late Monday through Wednesday.

**Early week atmospheric river key takeaways**

![Early week atmospheric river key takeaways ](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Early_week_atmospheric_river_key_takeaways_eed0fd8519.jpeg)

The biggest impacts from the developing atmospheric river will arrive Monday night continuing into early Wednesday, shifting from northern California to southern California during this timeframe. Heavy rain will be the biggest concern with a couple to several inches of rain falling from Los Angeles County north. The foothills communities will see 3-6 inches of rain with isolated higher amounts favoring the southwest-facing slopes of the foothills and mountains. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento can expect 1-3 inches of rain with 1/2 - 1 inch for San Diego. The snow level will be above 7,000 feet in southern California and 5,000 feet in northern and central California where feet of snow are expected for the highest peaks.

**Precipitation (liquid) forecast next 7 days**

![Precipitation (liquid) forecast next 7 days](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Precipitation_liquid_forecast_next_7_days_85bd2402e3.png)

With the additional heavy rain, there's an increased risk of flooding, landslides, and mudslides. Never cross a road covered by water.

**Say it ain't snow! Heavy snow is expected with a Nor'easter**

A potent storm system is expected to bring heavy precipitation and strong winds to the Northeast early this upcoming week a system in the Midwest races toward the East Coast spinning up a surface area of low pressure that'll intensify into a nor'easter late Monday and Tuesday. 

There are some questions regarding the exact track of the low pressure and just how strong this system gets, which will impact the precipitation and wind forecast but confidence is growing in a significant winter storm for parts of the Northeast Monday and Tuesday.

The current track suggests the heaviest snow is expected to fall just west of the I-95 corridor as the cold airmass is marginal for wintry precipitation with this system, which means D.C. and Philadelphia will mainly see a cold, wind-blown rain but the rain will change to snow in Philadelphia. New York City will also see rain as will Boston initially on Monday but the rain will change to snow as the system pulls in colder air. 

New York City is expected to see a slushy inch of snow with a couple inches for Boston. Farther inland, a foot or more is possible for the higher terrain of New England and upstate New York. Keep in mind, a slightly different track could significantly impact the accumulation forecast, especially for the major cities along I-95 for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.  

**Modeled snow accumulation forecast**

![Modeled snow accumulation forecast](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Modeled_snow_accumulation_forecast_0a1e92169a.png)

The system will also bring strong winds that could disrupt travel, reduce visibility, cause power outages, and lead to areas of coastal flooding.

It should also be noted that the higher terrain of western Virginia and northwestern North Carolina will also see wintry precipitation a little earlier beginning early Sunday for the possibility of light icing.

**
Severe storms and isolated tornadoes for the South
**

On the warm side of the winter storm, severe weather will erupt this afternoon and evening and again on Sunday from Arkansas to South Carolina.

The severe threat begins Saturday afternoon and evening across eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Texas, western Tennesee, and northern Mississippi where damaging winds and large hail are possible. Very large hail cannot be ruled out for parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. There is also a low-end tornado risk Saturday afternoon.

Because of the severe risk, there's a Level 1 and Level 2 severe risk for these areas (the risk is out of a Level 5).

**Saturday afternoon/evening severe risk**

![Saturday afternoon/evening severe risk](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/evening_severe_risk_57da948014.jpeg)

The severe risk shifts east overnight into Sunday with a higher severe risk Sunday afternoon and evening across parts of the Deep South and Southeast from Mississippi to Georgia with the severe risk also extending into southern Louisiana and southern South Carolina.

Damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes are possible within this region. The highest severe risk is along the I-10 corridor where there is the highest chance for very large hail and tornadoes. Because of the severe risk, there's a Level 1 and Level 2 severe risk for these areas (the risk is out of a Level 5).

**Sunday afternoon/evening severe risk**

![Sunday afternoon/evening severe risk](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/evening_severe_risk_778150bfb1.jpeg)

If you live in the severe risk area, make sure you have reliable sources for weather warnings and have a shelter plan in place.

Lower-48 precip forecast

The battle of the season continues with winter and spring dueling one another and this will bring high-impact weather to millions across the United States over the coming days including flooding to California, a major winter storm to the Northeast, and severe weather to the South.

Weather headlines: Another California atmospheric river, a winter Noreaster, and severe storms for the South

California cannot catch a break as another potent storm system arrives later today with impacts continuing into the weekend for parts of the state.

After the state received feet of mountain snow, with a rare Blizzard Warning for the mountains in Los Angeles County, and inches of rain closer to sea level, another threat emerges today as an atmospheric river brings buckets of moisture and rain to the state to end the week.

The impacts begin today across NorCal, gradually shifting south through central parts of the state and into SoCal overnight into Friday with additional impacts staying around on Saturday. While snow is possible, the big concern is the heavy rain as this storm system is different than the cold storm system that dropped snow levels down below 1,000 feet a couple of weeks ago and even produced icy precipitation in Los Angeles and Long Beach.

This system is warmer as it taps into a big feed of atmospheric moisture coming off the Pacific Ocean. Big feeds of moisture off the ocean typically bring milder temperatures and that is the case with this feed of moisture, which is known as an atmospheric river. This atmospheric moisture has origins near Hawaii so it's the warmer "Pineapple Express" that you've probably heard about.

The Pineapple Express event is expected to send snow levels upwards of 8,000 to 9,000 feet in the SoCal mountains with snow levels soaring to over 5,000 feet farther north in the state. Snow levels this high paired with the heavy rain and recent feet of snow brings numerous hazards to the mountains in California. One big hazard is flooding as heavy rain falls on top of the snow. This creates a more rapid runoff into area creeks and rivers, increasing the flood risk, and also melting some of the snow creating more flooding concerns. An additional hazard is the weight of the feet of snow on structures in the mountains getting heavier with falling rain on the snow. This drastically increases the weight of the snow, which could collapse the roofs of structures that still have snow on the roofs.

**Precipitation (liquid) forecast**

![Precipitation (liquid) forecast](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Precipitation_liquid_forecast_47014bbfe7.png)

There's also the concern of increased avalanche danger as the snow becomes unstable. Above 8,000 feet, heavy snow is likely with feet of snow expected to fall by the weekend. 

**Winter storm impacts today (Thursday) through Saturday**

![Winter storm impacts today (Thursday) through Saturday](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Winter_storm_impacts_today_Thursday_through_Saturday_e864e55894.png)

For the valleys, foothills, and lowlands, heavy rain will lead to areas of flooding with inches of rain possible at times. This will increase the flood risk and create an increased risk of land and mudslides.

**Today's (Thursday) excessive rainfall outlook WPC**

![Today's (Thursday) excessive rainfall outlook WPC](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Today_s_Thursday_excessive_rainfall_outlook_WPC_f721b82549.png)

Friday's excessive rainfall outlook WPC

![Friday's excessive rainfall outlook WPC](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Friday_s_excessive_rainfall_outlook_WPC_db8051d138.png)

Because of the flood hazards associated with this strong atmospheric river, local National Weather Service offices in California have issued numerous flood alerts across the state along with winter weather alerts for the highest elevations from today into this upcoming weekend. 

**Current flood and winter weather alerts from the NWS**

![Current weather alerts from the NWS](https://firsthandweather.s3.amazonaws.com/Current_weather_alerts_from_the_NWS_9504fecb86.png)



Precipitation (liquid) forecast

A strong atmospheric river will bring inches of rain to parts of California creating flooding, landslides, and potentially collapsing structures.

All blogs

Damaging spring thunderstorms likely today and Friday, tornadoes possible

An atmospheric river will bring a 'high risk' for flooding to California

Winter making a comeback in the South: widespread freeze likely

A potent nor'easter will slam New England this week

Weather headlines: Another California atmospheric river, a winter Noreaster, and severe storms for the South

Pineapple express to slam California bringing severe impacts