Daily briefing: Warm and cold split down the middle

The workweek ends on two opposite notes nationally. The Western U.S. will be warmer than normal while everywhere east of the Rockies remains frigid. The daily briefing is published every weekday at 5 a.m. ET.

The WeatherRadar shows generally quiet Friday across the U.S., with only the Northwest seeing rain and a few bursts of snow riding across the high Plains and the Carolinas.

However, big changes will occur tonight and heading into the weekend across the Southeast. A developing low pressure system off the Southeast Coast will produce snow across the Carolinas tonight before bigger wintry impacts— including snow, high winds and frigid temperatures— spread across the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday.

The biggest weather contrast today will be today's temperature. The TemperatureRadar shows most places west of the Rockies will be slightly above to well above normal. The Rockies, Mountain West, and Northwest will be in the 40s and 50s today, while northern California hits the 60s and low 70s. Los Angeles will be in the low 80s while the Southwest will hit the upper 70s.

This is in stark contrast to the U.S. east of the Rockies. Lingering arctic air will keep large parts of the Plains, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast well below freezing, with single digits found in the Upper Midwest. Even Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley, the South and Southeast will struggle to rise into the 40s and low 50s. Florida will be in the 60s, which is still cool by January standards.