Quiet Pattern to End 2012 and to Begin 2013 Across the Nation

The weather pattern across the nation is relatively quiet.  After a stormy, active pattern the last several weeks it is mostly dry and seasonable across the nation today.  A ridge is present along the west coast at 500 mb today which will keep it dry along the west coast for most of this week.  Meanwhile, a broad trough at 500 mb across the southwestern US will track eastward producing a few showers and a few thunderstorms across Texas and the southern Plains tomorrow.  To the north of this area of moisture, the air will be cold enough to produce light snow across Colorado, Missouri and Oklahoma.  This area of precipitation shifts eastward on Tuesday with a relatively large area of showers and thunderstorms across the Mississippi River Valley and light snow across the Ohio and Tennessee River Valleys.  This area of moisture moves almost due east in the Southeast by Thursday.  A disturbance will generate showers and thunderstorms along the eastern Gulf Coast and Florida on Friday.  In the Pacific Northwest, the weather remains dry through Wednesday with a relatively weak storm producing light rain and snow on Thursday. By Sunday, nearly the entire nation is forecast by the GFS to be dry with hardly any precipitation forecast except for flurries in the Great Lakes and a few showers in Florida.  The weather pattern is forecast to become more active after this Sunday but no major Arctic outbreaks are forecast. Have a great New Year in 2013. The GFS is forecasting that the NAO will turn positive during the first week of the new year and then trend negative again afterward.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com. Follow George on Twitter.