Weather

A mass of cold air will linger over New England on Tuesday as a storm approaches from the south. The storm will bring soaking rain from parts of the Middle Atlantic Coast to the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley. Snow or a wintry mix is in store from northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania to southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. Where the snow falls at a fast pace, a foot of snow may accumulate on unpaved surfaces west of Interstate 95 into Tuesday night. Where the snow is lighter, it will mostly melt as it falls.

Severe thunderstorms will affect the Florida Panhandle. Some of the strongest storms may produce tornadoes, large hail and urban flooding. Rain should change to snow in the southern Appalachians and spread to coastal New England at night.

Snow will fall across parts of the Upper Midwest, while much of the Great Lakes and the central and southern Plains will be dry. As rain and snow showers will diminish over the northern Rockies, heavy rain will prevail over much of California. As freezing levels rise, rain will fall fairly high up in the Sierra Nevada. Flash flooding and mudslides may develop with this storm, especially in recent burn scar areas.

— FOCUS: Near Record Warmth Late This Week

Southwest winds will push a very warm air mass into the southern Plains later in the week. Afternoon temperatures are expected to rise well into the 90s from West Texas to western Oklahoma on Friday. Record highs may be challenged.