Weather Blog: Tracking Travel Trouble Spots through New Year’s Day

Good Thursday bloggers,

I hope you had a safe and Merry Christmas. We wake up the day after Christmas with fog, drizzle and a few rain showers. This is going to continue through Friday night.

If you are traveling, or know anyone traveling we will look at the biggest travel trouble spots through New Year’s day and look at what that means for our weather.

Let’s go through the rest of 2024.

TODAY:
Severe weather is looking more likely for east Texas, western Louisiana to southern Arkansas. A few tornadoes are possible along with damaging wind and hail. Flash flooding is an issue as well. Flash flooding kills more people per year than tornadoes and lightning combined.

Jeff Penner

We are on the northern edge of the main storm. So, our foggy, drizzly and at times heavier rain showers will continue today and tonight. A period of heavier rain showers is possible 6 PM-10 PM tonight. Highs and lows today and tonight will be in the mid to upper 40s.

Jeff Penner

FRIDAY:
Periods of rain showers, drizzle and fog will continue.

Jeff Penner

A period of heavier rain is possible between noon and 5 PM. Highs tomorrow will be around 50°.

Jeff Penner

SATURDAY:
The system will exit Friday night paving the way for a rather nice last weekend of 2024. Highs will be in the 50s and we may see a few rain showers as we will be on the northern edge of another southern storm system. This system could produce severe weather Saturday from Louisiana to Mississippi and southern Arkansas enhancing travel troubles.

Jeff Penner

SUNDAY:
This looks like the nicest day of the next 10 days as we will see highs in the mid to upper 50s, if not 60°. There will be a system from southeast Canada to the southeast USA. It will be mostly rain, even in Canada! A mix of rain and snow may be found in Maine. That shows how mild the weather pattern is at this time. The Arctic air is in northern Canada.

The northwest USA is having endless rain and snow.

Jeff Penner

MONDAY:
We will be tracking a system that goes just north. If this happens we will see highs again in the 50s with rain and wet snow along I-80. There is a slight chance this system tracks closer to I-70. If that happens, then we will see a better chance of rain ending as some wet snow Monday into Tuesday.

Jeff Penner

NEW YEAR’S EVE:
Average cold air will move in behind the Monday system. So, highs will be in the low 40s with 30s at midnight. It looks dry as we ring in 2025.

Jeff Penner

Jeff Penner

SNOWFALL THROUGH NEW YEAR’S DAY:
The main snow will be in the northwest USA. There may be a stripe of 2″-4″ of snow along I-80 from the Monday-Tuesday system. Otherwise, not much snow through New Year’s day.

Jeff Penner

RAINFALL FORECAST THROUGH NEW YEAR’S DAY:
Since it is a mild pattern, we will be seeing mostly rain. The heaviest will be found from eastern Texas/Oklahoma to New England where 1″ to 4″ of rain is likely. 2″ to 7″ of rain is likely from San Francisco to Seattle.

Jeff Penner

Our area will see .10″ to .50″, mostly today through Friday night. We average 1.57″ in December, so .50″ of rain is 1/3 the monthly average.

Jeff Penner

TRAVEL TROUBLE SPOTS:
So, in summary the main travel trouble spots through New Year’s day will be from San Francisco to Seattle as endless storm systems enter from the Pacific ocean.

Today through Monday from east Texas/Oklahoma to New England will see periods of rain and thunderstorms making for some travel issues. Severe weather today from east Texas/Oklahoma to southern Arkansas and Louisiana and severe weather Saturday from Louisiana to Mississippi and southern Arkansas may enhance travel troubles.

We will also watch a rain-snow system along I-80, possibly to I-70 Monday-Tuesday as well.

Have a great rest of your week and weekend.
Stay healthy