Weather

Temperatures across much of the eastern third of the United States will continue to rise Friday as a high-pressure system off the East Coast ushers warm air from the Deep South to the Ohio Valley, the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England.

A powerful storm will develop over the Central States. A surge of humid air and strong wind will produce severe thunderstorms, with a few tornadoes from the lower southern Plains to the Mississippi Valley. Soaking rain will fall over much of the Great Lakes. As colder air arrives from the north over the weekend, the rain will change to ice.

Snow will fall around Lake Superior, while blizzard conditions affect the northern Plains to the central High Plains and the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies. Heavy snow and road closures are expected. Farther southwest, high winds will kick up dust and increase the risk of wildfires. Any fires that ignite from the southern High Plains to the southern Rockies may spread rapidly because of dry and windy conditions.

Winds should ease along the Pacific Coast as temperatures begin to rise across much of California. A storm over the Gulf of Alaska will bring rain to coastal areas of Washington and Oregon.

FOCUS: Sharp Temperature Contrast Saturday

A front will stall across the Northeast on Saturday, which will divide summerlike air to the south from winterlike air to the north. Temperatures in western New York will hover in the 30s, while southern Pennsylvania can expect highs in the upper 80s.