“By the end of the weekend, rainfall totals of 3-5″+ likely through the Washington and Oregon Cascades, northwest California coastal mountains into the northern Sierra, while snowfall totals of 1 to 3 feet are likely in the highest elevations of the Northwest,” the NWS said in its update.
At the same time, an “increasingly wet pattern” is starting to develop in the Lower Mississippi Valley that will spread to the northeastern parts of the United States as well as the Mid-Atlantic states, the NWS said.
Parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas were under severe weather watches on Friday as the NWS predicted that a storm system in the Gulf of Mexico could bring high winds, hail, and possible tornadoes to the region.
Ahead of the storm threat, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement on Thursday to say that he activated state emergency response resources.
The weather service issued a tornado warning late Thursday afternoon for parts of Texas northeast of Houston, indicating that weather radar had detected a tornado in the area. There were no immediate reports of damage.
As a line of thunderstorms moved across parts of Texas, more than 100 flights were delayed, and dozens more were canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations were also reported at Dallas Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an aviation company that tracks flights worldwide.
The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
The storms were likely to push into southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana after nightfall, posing a potentially dangerous situation for holiday travelers, Hurley said.
“People can’t see a whole lot and may not be as weather aware,” he said.
“Much of the Lower 48 will see much above average temperatures over the next few days. This will be a continuation to the above average pattern for areas to the west of the Mississippi River, but a reversal of the overall below average pattern that has dominated areas east of the Mississippi during December,” the NWS said.
“Travelers should expect the roads, airports and cruise terminals to be more crowded than normal,” Debbie Haas, an AAA official, said in an accompanying statement. “So, finalize your travel plans now and give yourself extra time to get to your destination. We also suggest travel insurance, which provides assistance in the event winter weather or something unexpected interferes with your plans.”
