The rain-weary Plains and Midwest will be dealt yet another round of soggy weather heading into the weekend as a storm originating from the Pacific Ocean is set to take aim at the region after unleashing more snow over the northern Rockies.Rain and thunderstorms will spread over the Plains and Upper Midwest Friday night into Saturday as the storm system arrives."While less rain is likely to fall compared to other recent storms over the Plains and Upper Midwest, enough rain can fall to keep the soil soggy, cause isolated flash flooding and keep river and stream levels elevated in the region," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
A general 0.50 of an inch to 1.50 inches of rain is forecast, but local amounts topping 3 inches can occur in parts of northwestern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota and central and northern Wisconsin.The rainfall may cause additional slowdowns in harvesting in a week that would otherwise be busy for farmers.Meanwhile, people with outdoor plans such as attending area high school, college or
NFL games this weekend may need to dodge rain and bring along plastic rain ponchos and waterproof shoes to stay dry. Also, people should stay alert to any nearby thunderstorms by checking the AccuWeather app."The storm is unlikely to produce widespread severe weather," Anderson said.However, some heavy, gusty and locally severe thunderstorms are likely along the leading edge of a reinforcing push of cooler air.
Outside of thunderstorms, gusty winds will accompany the storm system later this weekend to early next week over the North Central states, according to Anderson.Gusts from the west and northwest, ranging from 35 to 50 mph, are likely from the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies to the northern Plains and western Great Lakes region.As the weather system shifts eastward, showers and thunderstorms will sweep across the Ohio Valley on Sunday. Unlike the rain-weary central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest, rain is needed over portions of the Ohio Valley. Short-term conditions over the Ohio Valley range from abnormally dry to severe drought, according to the
United States Drought Monitor.Cooler air more typical of the season will be ushered in by brisk northwesterly winds as the storm moves away. While daytime temperatures will be fairly typical for early October with highs to range from the middle 50s across the north to near 70 over the Ohio Valley early next week, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are likely to range from the upper 30s to near 40 across the north to the 50s over part of the Ohio Valley.This new batch of cool air will make progress into the southern Plains and Deep South next week, ending a stretch of sizzling temperatures in and seemingly a never-ending summer for some areas.There will be a risk of frost in parts of the Great Lakes region and the central Plains, including Michigan, early next week. Most of this area has avoided frost to this point, which means that frost is coming a bit later than average.
Prior to the storm swinging out over the middle of the nation, it will pass through the northern Rockies. While significant snow is not likely to fall on lower elevations, a few inches of snow will be likely over the high country spanning Thursday night and Friday.
Roads could be slippery over the crest of the passes in western Montana and northeastern Idaho.Download the free AccuWeather app to receive the latest forecast for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.