With this weekend’s snowstorm missing the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes well to the south and east, we look ahead to the next potential weather maker across the region.

The weather pattern appears as though it will turn active again by the middle of next week, with a ridge off the west coast directing  a parade of storm systems into the Plains. The forecast models show the cold air diving in to our west and no blocking over the arctic or north Atlantic, leading to low pressures tracking into the upper lakes for the latter half of next week, resulting in relatively low chances for major snow in the Ohio Valley/Great Lakes.

As we head towards the end of the month, we are seeing indications of further amplifications in ridging off the west coast of the continent along with an active subtropical jet stream. Given the lack of blocking over the arctic/north Atlantic, this may end up being a fierce storm that tracks well west of the Appellation Mountains, resulting in heavy rain and thunderstorms to the east of the track and a potential snowstorm to the west of the storm track.

We are still quite far out from this potential storm, but as we approach meteorological spring, expect things to stay busy in the weather department!