The overall weather setup is a good one for producing reinforcing shots of cold air for those of us east of the Rocky Mountains this week. Multiple disturbances will rotate down from Canada, causing additional pushes of cold air of varying intensity throughout the week. Some precipitation will be possible with each push, including additional snow as well.

Winter has certainly started off with some gusto. A big change to the weather pattern occurred last week and brought some significant cold air to the country. A system that moved through that cold air turned into a big winter storm system that produced a wide band of heavy snow from the Northern Plains through the Midwest. Many areas across Iowa, Illinois, southern Wisconsin and Michigan saw amounts in the 6- to 12-inch range with some peaks of 12 to 16 inches in there as well. Other areas from Montana through the Dakotas, southern Minnesota, northeastern Missouri, and northern Indiana saw amounts over 6 inches. An additional system moved through early this week with more widespread snow across the Midwest and is now getting into the Northeast.

But we have many more opportunities for both cold air and snow. A cold front is gathering up arctic air in northwestern Canada on Dec. 2 and will push southward through the country through Dec. 4. Some snow will be possible along the front, but mainly across the Great Lakes where it will be enhanced by the warm waters there, and up against the Rocky Mountains, where the cold air will push up the incline to produce moderate to heavy snow in the High Plains from Alberta down to New Mexico.

Behind that front will be the coldest air of the week as temperatures plummet across the Midwest. Low temperatures on Thursday morning will be below zero across the eastern Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the northern half of Illinois, where the previous heavy snowfall will cause significant cooling under calm winds. High temperatures may not break above 10 degrees Fahrenheit in some places.

As the front nears the Gulf on Thursday, a system is likely to form along it. It will be too warm for snow across much of the Southeast, but some snow may mix in on the northern edge across the Tennessee Valley which will extend across the Mid-Atlantic on Dec. 5.

Another system will move through Canada Thursday and Friday. Snow may trickle south of the border into the U.S. but will send temperatures down again across the North-Central states, leaving behind a cold front that will stall out from the Northern Plains into the Upper Midwest. Yet another system will move along that cold front during the weekend. The exact track will take a few days to figure out, but another streak of moderate snow is likely across the Northern Plains and Midwest, followed by another burst of colder air.

The pattern will finally start to change next week as the upper-level troughs and ridges shift around. This pattern will still promote clipper systems moving across the north, but their access to arctic air will be cut off. Temperatures are still forecast to be below normal across the Midwest and Northeast behind these clippers, but areas in the Plains will likely rise above normal.

We should see some melting occurring across the snowpack that is forecast to shift into the Midwest later next week. However, this is expected to be a short stretch of milder conditions. More cold air is anticipated for the second half of the month, which may be brought on by another big winter storm.

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John Baranick can be reached at john.baranick@dtn.com

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