Unsettled weather today, but dry weekend
A potent storm system over the Midwest will continue traveling toward the Atlantic. The storm is responsible for numerous reports of severe weather across the eastern U.S. over the past two days. Most of these reports involved damaging winds on Wednesday, as a series of squall lines propagated eastward. Not surprisingly, given that tornadoes mostly occur in the spring, several tornadoes were also spotted closer to the Gulf. Since much of the atmospheric instability is confined to the southeastern U.S., we will only see a cool, steady rain today rather than thunderstorms. Some of the cool Canadian air mass will reach us because the approaching storm will actually split into two weaker low pressure areas. As this occurs, winds will partially blow from the north through tonight and keep temperatures near 40°F (4°C) for today. We may even see sleet mix in with the rain if the air above is sufficiently cold.
After tonight, expect clearing skies for the weekend and a quick warm-up. Clouds will diminish even more by early next week, as a high pressure ridge slowly builds over the western Atlantic. The next chance of rain should arrive by Tuesday.