5 Things To Know About This Weekend's Weather

A pattern change, or more specifically an omega block, has brought big weather changes to much of the country this weekend.

This setup features an upper-level area of high pressure over the Great Lakes region and an upper-level area of low pressure over the West, which will remain in place through the weekend.

(MORE: Omega Block Weather Pattern Develops This Weekend)

The result will be that some areas will see greatly improved conditions from the previous weekend, while others may experience heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, heavy snowfall and windy conditions.

Below we highlight five areas to watch this weekend and beyond.

1) Improvement Over Last Weekend

Last weekend felt more like winter than spring for much of the East, but that's not the case this weekend. High temperatures will be near to above average for most locations in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast this weekend.

Chilly temperatures dominated the East last weekend, April 9-10. A few daily record lows were even set in parts of Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

(MORE: Early April Record Cold Targeted Northeast, Great Lakes)

Snow also fell late last week and into Saturday from the Great Lakes to portions of the Northeast. Up to a foot of snow was measured in Wisconsin and Michigan and snow was observed as far east as Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New Jersey and the New York City area.

The snowy and cool conditions will seem like a distant memory for these areas this weekend thanks to high pressure that will remain located over the Northeast.

High temperatures will be near to above average again on Sunday for most locations east of the Mississippi. Widespread highs in the 70s are expected, with 50s and 60s in parts of the Northeast, northern Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

(FORECAST: Chicago | Nashville | Philadelphia)

What a difference a week can make. Pittsburgh will go from snow with a high of 35 degrees last Saturday to sun and highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s this weekend. High temperatures will be close to 20 degrees warmer this weekend compared to last weekend in New York and Washington, D.C.

The other piece of good news is that dry conditions are expected to prevail for the East this weekend. However, a few showers are possible in portions of Minnesota Sunday.

2) Threat of Heavy Rain and Flooding

An upper-level area of low pressure over the Four Corners region will bring the threat of heavy rain, along with flash flooding this weekend. Due to the “omega block” this low pressure system will not be able to make much progress eastward this weekend, which will increase the chance for prolonged, heavy rainfall.

(MORE: Plains Flood Threat)

Consequently, heavy rainfall and flooding is a possibility as this system will continue to bring plentiful moisture to the same areas in the Plains over several days. Heavy rain is expected right through the weekend in portions of the central and southern Plains.

(FORECAST: Houston | Dallas | Oklahoma City | North Platte, Nebraska)

3) Severe Weather, Including Tornadoes Possible

A few severe thunderstorms are also possible through early in the coming week, as a cold front moves into the Plains. The cold front, along with favorable shear and lift, will set the stage for the chance for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop.

Parts of central, north and eastern Texas will see the greatest threat of severe thunderstorms on Sunday. A few strong to severe thunderstorms may also impact portions of southern Oklahoma as well. 

(FORECAST: Wichita Falls | Dallas-Fort Worth | Austin)

A lingering severe threat cannot be ruled out through at least Monday, particularly across central to Deep South Texas. 

This all comes after parts of the High Plains from eastern Colorado to the Texas-Oklahoma panhandles saw very large hail and tornadoes on back-to-back days from Friday into Saturday.

4) Winter Storm Vexo in the Rockies, High Plains

In addition to the heavy rain and threat of severe thunderstorms, snow will also accompany the area of low pressure that will slowly move across the Plains.

Moderate to heavy snowfall is expected over the Front Range, foothills and portions of the Rocky mountains, as plenty of moisture is expected with this system. This will likely be a heavy, wet snow which may cause problems with broken tree branches and downed power lines. Travel is also likely to be impacted.

(MORE: Winter Storm Vexo Forecast)

Some of the higher elevations may see 2 to 4 feet of snow from into Sunday morning. The Denver metro area is also expected to experience significant snowfall, which prompted winter storm warnings to be issued for the area.

(FORECAST: Denver | Cheyenne | Aspen, Colorado)

Moderate to heavy snow is expected to continue to fall throughout this weekend in other parts of the High Plains, accompanied by strong, gusty winds.

5) Warm and Dry in Northwest

A gorgeous weekend is in store for the Pacific Northwest. An upper-level ridge of high pressure will build into the Northwest, allowing for drier and warmer conditions to emerge this weekend.

Offshore flow will help to bring temperatures well above average by late this weekend. High temperatures will be up to 25 degrees warmer than average on Sunday. By Sunday, much of the region will see temperatures soaring into the 60s and 70s, with 80s in portions of northern California, Oregon and Washington.

(MAPS: Weekly Planner)

The Seattle area saw highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s last weekend and temperatures are expected to climb into the mid and upper 70s by Sunday. Portland, Oregon saw temperatures reach the 60s last weekend but a high around 80 degrees is anticipated Sunday. Southern Oregon also saw light rain at times over last weekend, but dry conditions are expected to prevail this weekend.

(FORECAST: Seattle | Portland, Oregon | Boise, Idaho)

There is a slight chance of a few showers along the coast, but most likely the wet weather will remain offshore. Otherwise, the region will see plenty of sunshine.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Great Lakes, Northeast April 2016 Snow (PHOTOS)