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Heavy Rainfall in South Texas; Pacific Storm Moves into the Pacific Northwest

Thunderstorms may bring heavy to excessive rainfall and the potential for flooding over South Texas late Wednesday through Friday. A Moderate Risk (level 3 of 4) of excessive rainfall has been issued for portions of South Texas. A Pacific storm will begin to impact the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, bringing strong winds, heavy showers and the potential for severe thunderstorms. Read More >

Overview

A deep upper level trough swept across the southern US and turned northeastward offshore of the east coast from the morning of January 3 through the morning of January 4, 2018. The interaction between the cold upper trough and the relatively warmer Atlantic waters resulted in tremendous intensification of a surface low pressure system that tracked from around Miami, FL to just offshore of Cape Cod on January 3 and 4. A good deal of moisture wrapped into this system and was lifted across much of the east coast, resulting in a broad area of moderate to heavy snowfall. A heavy band of snow impacted portions of the Taconics, Berkshires, Litchfield Hills, and southern Green Mountains from the late morning through the afternoon hours of January 4, resulting in snowfall rates up to 3" per hour and total snowfall amounts mainly in the 7 to 15 inch range. To the west of the heavy snowband across the Hudson, Mohawk, and Schoharie Valleys, a widespread 3 to 7 inches of snowfall occurred. Gusty northerly winds occurred with this system as well, with gusts of 30-45 mph recorded. The winds and falling snow contributed to reduced visibility and blowing and drifting of snow. The snowfall tapered off in the evening of January 4.
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