Premium: Intricate phase will determine magnitude of coastal storm
The details of a phase between a mid level disturbance over the Ohio Valley, one with surprising vigor, and a second disturbance dropping southward from Southeast Canada into the Northeast, will have significant impacts on the eventual evolution of a coastal storm system this weekend. The atmospheric evolution in the mid and upper levels is actually quite complex, and reminiscent of some of the storm systems that impact our area in the winter season.
The pattern actually begins becoming amplified and energetic today (Friday), as a large trough in the Western United States amplifies. This will force a large ridge axis to build to its east, over the Central Plains states. This ridge drives northward, amplifying into Central Canada. This sets the stage for a large and amplifying trough over the Eastern United States this weekend.