Generally above average temperatures are expected over the Rockies and west coast. Near normal through the midsection of the lower 48 i..e. between the foothills and a line drawn N-S from the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border to Corpus Christi TX, and below to well below normal in the east; especially the southeast centered over North Carolina.

This week is another in a series of active weather periods as a strong jet stream meanders over the lower 48. An elongated low stretching from NE Colorado to the Texas Panhandle this morning will gradually move ENE. By Wednesday morning it will have split in two, leaving a weakening system stalled over southern Lake Michigan and a developing storm on the eastern seaboard near Philadelphia. Much of New England will pick up some heavy wet snow from the seaboard system on Wednesday and Thursday, but just a cold rain is expected on the coast, sparing the big cites of Philly, NYC and Boston from snow.

By Friday most of the surface low pressure will have moved offshore New England with cold northerly winds in its wake blowing from the plains to the Northeast.

Meanwhile, blizzard and winter storm warnings stretch east and north from the Colorado foothills and plains through the Texas panhandle, much of Kansas, the NW part of Oklahoma and down south through New Mexico this morning. Heavy rain and severe thunderstorms will develop over south Texas today and spread east through the first half of the week with a risk of local flooding over Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Generally cool conditions will gradually moderate this week over the Rockies and most of the west coast, especially over Southern California where strong Santa Anna winds will develop today and continue off and on thru the week. NG extractions to be reported this Thursday should be well above average; in the 150+ bcf range due to last weeks cold to seasonal weather over much of the lower 48.