We’re entering into a pattern of active weather through the weekend and into early next week. Today will be dry and pleasant, though well below normal with highs only in the mid 40s.

High pressure will move east of NYC before a cold front approaches from our west on Friday. Southwest flow around the high pressure center and ahead of the frontal boundary will usher in milder, moist air from the southeast. Temperatures on Friday will be near normal in the mid 50s. As the front passes through, expect periodic rain showers throughout the afternoon hours.

Saturday – a second frontal system is forecast to spawn a low that will track offshore of the East Coast, bringing a second round of rain to the area. This round will be heavier than Friday’s, with ample moisture available for the storm to draw on. With the clouds and rain, high temperatures will be suppressed to around 50.

Sunday – there is some uncertainty about how quickly the low impacting us Saturday will exit the region. At this time, it does appear that rain will continue through portions of the day. Should the low be slow to exit, colder air could work into the system allowing for accumulating snow Sunday night! High temperatures Sunday will be in the mid 40s.

Monday – should be a fair day, dry, with high temperatures near normal in the mid 50s. So, even if it snows on Sunday, the snow will melt rapidly. Next shot at precipitation comes with another frontal system Tuesday.

Check out the cumulative quantitative precipitation forecast from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center for Thursday through Sunday morning. Note that our area is forecast to receive as much as 2.5″ of precipitation through Sunday. Also, there are pockets of as much as 4-6″ of precipitation forecast for the West Coast. For California, that’s some good news as it will help with the drought conditions, but as we saw with Oso, Washington mudslide this much precipitation in such a short span of time can lead to landslides. This is especially the case for Oregon and Washington which are no longer as drought-stricken and soil saturated from previous storms.

Below is a NAVGEM forecast model run depicting two storms simultaneously impacting the West Coast and the Northeast on Sunday.