Main Action Plains into the Intermountain-West, Could Begin Shifting East Around Christmas

I am watching the weather pattern set up for the next week to two and it looks like most of the action will be in the Intermountain West and Southwest. Currently, a trough is ready to swing into the western U.S. and as it does it will bring widespread rainfall from southern California to New Mexico.

Not seeing a whole lot of cold air with the system so only the high peaks (elevation >5,000') of mountainous areas will see any snow.

By Wednesday, the associated surface system with this trough will begin lifting out of the southwest and into the Plains. This will spread rainfall into the "Heartland" with some snow possible across the northern tier of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Again, not much cold around to be entrained into the system and to allow for snowfall. Also, on Wednesday, a second piece of energy will be diving into northern California.

This second piece of energy looks as if it could be a deeper and stronger system. By the first of the weekend, the system will be cutting off across southern California. By cutting off, it allows the northern branch of the jet stream to bend with a trough over the Mississippi Valley and this will allow for a brief shot of cold to sink southward. The two systems will work in tandem to help draw rains into the Southern Plains and much of Texas with some southern Rockies snow becoming possible.

This will be the system of interest for the week before Christmas and could be am impact towards Christmas itself. I will go into more details on Monday (12/12) in the evening at 8:30 pm during my live weather video briefing. Please join me here for that.