Santa Cruz, CA

Weather Underground Forecast for Sunday, February 05, 2012.

Wet weather diminishes over the Midwest on Sunday, as a winter storm moves eastward and over the Appalachians. The system will advance southeastward from the Mid-Mississippi River Valley, moving over the Tennessee Valley and into the Appalachians. Flow around this system will continue pulling in warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. This will allow for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop from Florida through the Mid-Atlantic states. There is a slight chance that some of these storms will turn severe with damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy downpours. This system will continue moving eastward on Sunday and is expected to move offshore into the Atlantic Ocean Sunday night.

Behind this system, a strong ridge of high pressure builds in from the West to dry out the Eastern half of the nation. This system will stretch from the Rocky Mountains, over the Plains, and into the Eastern Valleys. Expect sunny and dry conditions to accompany this ridge, which will create a mild warming trend across the Central US. The Northern Plains and Upper Midwest will reach into the 40s, while the Southern Plains will range in the 50s and 60s. Further west, A low pressure system off the West Coast will continue pushing a cold front toward the West Coast. This system is not expected to reach the Pacific Northwest and northern California until late Monday night.