Winter will continue to have a firm grip on most of the U.S. on Wednesday. Bitter cold, Arctic air will keep areas east of the Rockies chilled, while a few areas see snow showers.
The Great Lakes, Appalachia and the interior Northeast will all be under the influence of a persistent northwesterly flow on Wednesday. This chilly air from Canada moving over the warm waters of the Great Lakes will keep lake-effect snow in the forecast. Expect generally small amounts of snow for most places. However, most areas directly downwind of the lakes will see locally higher amounts.
High pressure will control the weather across the rest of the eastern half of the U.S. Expect dry but breezy weather for southern New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Gulf Coast. The Midwest should also stay relatively quiet for the middle of the work week.
Meanwhile, expect a much more active weather pattern throughout the western half of the U.S. A clipper-type system will drop out of south-central Canada into the north-central U.S., with a pesky low pressure system spinning over the Southwest, northern Mexico and the far southern High Plains.
Light snow will initially be found in the northern Rockies during the morning. Snow will then spread south and east into the rest of Montana, Wyoming, northern Colorado, the Dakotas and western Nebraska in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures could be warm enough in a few places for a rain/snow mix in the afternoon.
There will also be a good chance of light snow for eastern Arizona and most of New Mexico during the day. Wet snow or a rain/snow mix will then move into western Texas during the evening and night. Some freezing rain could even mix in at times.
Despite this active weather in the Rockies and High Plains, the Northwest, California and the Great Basin should all be free of weather concerns under high pressure.
The coldest area on Wednesday will be the interior Northeast, where temperatures will only peak in the single digits. A few spots will also remain below zero! Otherwise, the northern half of the Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachia, southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic will report highs in the teens and 20s. Teens and 20s will also occur for most of the Rocky Mountains.
Expect 30s and 40s throughout the rest of the Mountain West into the southern half of the Plains, Deep South and most of the Southeast. Forties and 50s will be common throughout the Pacific Northwest, with widespread 50s and 60s in California and the Desert Southwest. Northern Florida will report 40s and 50s, while southern Florida will see 60s and 70s.