Weekend Weather Spotlight: 1-22-21

Three systems will affect mainly the central and western part of the country through the weekend producing widespread rain and snow with some ice potential also.

First, a trough of low pressure begins to get going late tonight/early Saturday morning in the Dakotas and moves through the Midwest throughout the weekend. The snow is expected to be light and fluffy from SD to lower MI with a large area of at least 1 to 4 inches with some pockets of over 4 inches possible in southeast SD, southern MN, central and eastern IA, and southern WI. Lighter precipitation will be possible further south to the southern Plains and east to the lower and Mid Mississippi River Valley. 

The next system moves from the Southwest into the southern Plains by Sunday evening. First, it will produce scattered showers in the southwest and snows in the Intermountain West regions today and Saturday. Precipitation is then expected to increase in coverage Sunday evening and overnight from the southern Plains to the Mid-Mississippi River Valley initially as mainly rain, but there is potential for widespread ice from eastern KS to southern IL, and accumulating snow in western KS Sunday overnight towards Monday morning. 

And the third system builds into the Northwest on Sunday and tracks south towards the Southwest producing widespread precipitation up and down the west coast with some heavy rain possible at times including southern CA late Sunday night towards Monday morning.