What To Watch Fore(cast) - Apr. 4-10

Highlights:

Happy Easter for Easterners - Mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures will give the eastern third of the nation ideal conditions to celebrate Easter Sunday.

Severe weather in the mid-country - The Central Plains and Western Midwest will see several rounds of severe weather through the first half of the week.

Mid-Atlantic and Northeast severe weather possible - The East Coast could see its first round of widespread severe weather this year Thursday and Friday as far north as Southern New England.

Heat subsides in the East - Temperatures will be returning to near-normal values in the eastern half of the country during the second half of the week.

A pleasant weekend for most - A lull in the weather over the weekend will bring mostly sunny skies and seasonable temperatures to a large portion of the country, especially in areas east of the Rockies.

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Discussion:

A stationary front draped over the middle of the country will be host to a series of weak disturbances this week before the storm system currently affecting the Pacific Northwest pushes it off to the north and east. Until then, areas immediately south of the stationary front could see several days of severe weather, particularly in the Central Plains and Western Midwest. The above-average temperatures coupled with a good moisture feed from the Gulf of Mexico and the forcing from the stationary boundary will be enough to trigger the severe weather.

A strong low pressure system that is currently making its way into the Pacific Northwest will move into the center of the country Wednesday, which will progress eastward, bringing the chance for severe weather with it. The Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast are at risk Thursday and Friday as the storm system makes its way to the East Coast.

Behind this storm, temperatures will return to seasonal levels through most of the country, especially in areas east of the Rocky Mountains. With the exception of a weak Canadian disturbance and a low pressure system moving over the West Coast, the weather will be fairly quiet, which will give most Americans a pleasant Spring weekend to catch up on their outdoor activities.