Unusual weather for May is going to bring a little bit of everything over the next 24 hours.
This will include record cold, snow, rain, strong winds, thunderstorms, and even “thundersnow” to various parts of the country; plus, more of today’s weather news and forecast.
Rare snow and record cold in May
Courtesy of the polar vortex, over the next 24 hours, a variety of places across the country will see record or near-record cold for this point in May. In addition, many places will also experience rare snow accumulation.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting snowfall over northern Michigan, which also could creep into coastal areas of Wisconsin around the Great Lakes.
In the Northeast, snowfall is possible from Ohio and Pennsylvania all the way north to Maine.
In the mid-South, snowfall is possible over the Appalachians and portions of Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Over the northern Rockies and upper Midwest, snowfall is possible and portions of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Minnesota.
What is thundersnow?
Thundersnow is a thunderstorm that occurs with snow falling as its primary precipitation as opposed to rain. Essentially, it is a winter thunderstorm. It typically occurs in regions where there is strong upward motion within the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone.
Meteorologists are predicting that the unique weather situation over the next 24 hours could lead to a few isolated thundersnow squalls, mainly on Saturday.
Friday thunderstorms
Thunderstorms will be prevalent on Friday throughout southern latitudes and especially along the Gulf.
The National Weather Service is forecasting thunderstorms for portions of southern and eastern Texas, throughout the entireties of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Western Tennessee, and the northern half of Florida.
Today’s US weather forecast
West: San Francisco 70, mostly sunny, Los Angeles 87, sunny; Reno 84, sunny; Las Vegas 96, sunny; Salt Lake City 72, sunny; Denver 65, partly cloudy.
Northwest & Northern Rockies: Seattle 79, sunny; Medford 92, sunny; Boise 72, sunny; Billings 62, partly cloudy; Minot 63, partly cloudy; Rapid City 60, partly cloudy.
Southwest: Phoenix 104, partly cloudy; El Paso 82, partly cloudy; San Antonio 86, mostly cloudy; Brownsville 94, windy.
Central & Upper Midwest: Lubbock 68, windy; Dallas 73, windy; Oklahoma City 65, windy; Kansas City 60, sunny; Minneapolis 50, sunny.
Ohio Valley: Chicago 42, windy; St. Louis 59, rain; Detroit 44, mostly cloudy; Cincinnati 53, rain.
South: Houston 87, thunderstorms; New Orleans 86, thunderstorms; Memphis 64, thunderstorms; Atlanta 61, rain; Charlotte 67, rain; Jacksonville 83, sunny; Tampa 83, sunny; Miami 81, mostly sunny.
East: Norfolk 74, rain; Washington, D.C. 64, rain; Buffalo 41, rain; New York 55, rain; Boston 60, rain; Caribou 50, mixed precipitation.