Snow storm in rural AmericaGrowing and intensifying drought heading into the winter — normally the wet season in the western U.S. — will require a wholesale shift in dominant weather systems based on the movement of the jet stream, specifically the development of a subtropical jet stream in the Pacific Ocean. There are few signs of that sign of the beginning of the Western wet season beginning to develop, and that part of the country will remain dry until that happens. Meanwhile, two systems this week will deliver winter precipitation to parts of the northern Plains and central Corn Belt, following up on a system that brought rainfall to parts of the central Plains through the Ohio River Valley. Meanwhile, forecasters are watching the strength and structure of the polar vortex around the North Pole to determine the likelihood of deepfreeze-like systems arriving to the U.S. in the next two weeks. See more from the latest outlook.