A weak storm system continued to sweep across the Northeast Sunday afternoon, bringing scattered rain and snow showers across the region. Elsewhere, rather tranquil weather conditions are in place across much of the nation, likely remaining that way through the first half of the upcoming week.
Scattered rain and snow showers will continue in the Northeast through the Sunday evening hours, with locally gusty winds in some spots.
While this is mostly a nuisance event, isolated snow squalls impacted parts of Western New York and Pennsylvania earlier Sunday, bringing a quick blast of heavier snow and gusty winds, which can rapidly lower visibility.
Isolated snow squalls could still occur through the evening hours, quickly leaving behind a coating of snow where temperatures are cold enough.
Bands of lake effect snow are also re-developing along the Eastern Great Lakes, bringing areas of snow over the next 24 hours to parts of western and northern New York state.
Generally, the accumulation will be light, with 1-3 inches through Monday. However, there is the potential for a more significant lake effect snow band to impact parts of Central New York, between Oswego and Watertown, with possible accumulations of over 6 inches in some spots.
A weak and quick-moving clipper system will swing down across the Great Lakes on Tuesday, bringing another shot of wintry weather to northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Accumulations will be light and impacts should be limited.
The system will sweep into northern New England by Wednesday morning with snow possibly falling during the Wednesday-morning commute across portions of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Cold air will be marginal during this event, so the precipitation will fall mostly as rain closer to the coast. The biggest accumulation will be well inland and across the higher elevations and mountains. This will likely be a heavy, wet snow.
Through Wednesday, locally 3-6 inches or more of additional snow is forecast from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into portions of upstate New York and northern New England.
Behind the system in the East, milder temperatures are settling in for much of the country as the new week gets underway.
Temperatures Sunday afternoon were in the 40s and 50s across the northern Plains, with some places, like Rapid City, South Dakota, soaring into the mid-60s -- about 15 to 20 degrees above average for mid-January.
By Tuesday, much of the country will enjoy above-average temperatures for this time of the year. The most pronounced will be focused over the central U.S., with highs running 20-25 degrees above average for mid-January across much of the Plains and Midwest.
Highs will top off near 60 degrees in St. Louis, Kansas City, Missouri, and Rapid City, South Dakota, with afternoon temperatures near 50 in Chicago and Indianapolis.
By Wednesday, afternoon temperatures will be near 50 degrees in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia.
Colder temperatures will return to much of the East Coast by Thursday, with highs running near to slightly below average for mid-January.
Above-average temperatures will remain across much of the Plains and West, with overall dry conditions favored in these regions as well.
Right now, it appears that similar conditions will remain in place for the upcoming weekend, with near- to below-average temperatures favored in the East and above-average temperatures for a large portion of the Central and Western U.S.