Weather

A departing storm system will usher seasonably chilly air into the East on Wednesday. This will result in lake-effect snow from Michigan to New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Snow showers will occur in northern New England. Clouds and spotty rain showers will stretch across South Florida and into the southern tip of Texas, because of lingering moisture over the region. Much of the rest of the eastern three-quarters of the United States can expect a dry day, with at least partial sunshine.

More moderate temperatures are expected across the High Plains and the Rockies as a west flow of air develops around a high-pressure system, from the Four Corners to the southern Plains.

A powerful storm will bring a great deal of Pacific moisture onshore along the West Coast. Drenching rain and scattered flash flooding are projected from northern California to western Washington. Heavy snow will fall over the Cascades and the northern Sierra Nevada, extending down to the major passes — including Donner, Siskiyou, Snoqualmie and Stevens — into the end of the week. Snow showers will extend inland into parts of Idaho and Nevada. Heavy rain is expected to remain to the north of Southern California.

FOCUS: Weather Pattern Change Later in February

Mild Pacific air is expected to dominate a large part of the country through the end of the month. A significant pattern change may begin around the second week of February, which would allow much colder air to move into the Plains and the Northeast.