Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
300 AM EST Wed Nov 26 2025

Valid 12Z Wed Nov 26 2025 - 12Z Fri Nov 28 2025

...Deep cyclone moving through the Great Lakes is forecast to bring
blizzard conditions along the south shore of Lake Superior today...

...Rain changing to snow with windy conditions for the remainder of the
Great Lakes with lake-effect snows lingering into Thanksgiving holiday...

...Periods of mountain snow and low-elevation rain expected for the
Pacific Northwest through the next couple of days followed by increasing
chance of snow across Montana Friday morning...

...Well above average temperatures across much of the eastern U.S. will
give way to windy and much colder conditions heading into the Thanksgiving
holiday...

A fairly intense cyclone supported by a digging upper-level trough is
bringing the first significant snowfall of the season across the northern
tier states culminated with blizzard conditions as cold air rushes in
behind the deep storm.  This cyclone is forecast to continue its eastward
track across the Great Lakes while expanding in size for the remainder of
today into tonight.  The Snow Belt along the south shore of Lake Superior
including the Arrowhead can expect to receive well over a foot of snow,
along with blizzard conditions at the height of this storm during the day
today.  For the remainder of the Great Lakes, rain will gradually change
over to all snow by Thanksgiving morning along with windy conditions. 
More lake-effect snow bands can be expected to impact the Snow Belt
downwind from the Great Lakes on the back side of the departing but
expanding cyclone into Friday especially the lower Great Lakes. 
Meanwhile, the snow across the upper Great Lakes will show signs of
tapering off by Friday morning.

Much of the eastern U.S. will wake up with another day of milder than
normal temperatures together with scattered showers and a better chance
for thunderstorms in the Southeast.  New England will see steady rain
ending this morning.  It will take the entire day today for the cold air
to reach the East Coast by tonight behind a cold front trailing from the
deep cyclone.  The front is forecast to move out into the Atlantic on
Thanksgiving Day with clearing skies but windy and colder conditions for
Thanksgiving Day festivities.  Maine will be the last to clear out from
wet snow Thursday morning.  Polar air will plunge southward and settle
across the entire central and eastern U.S. with temperatures falling to
the freezing mark as far south as the Florida Panhandle by Friday morning.
Nevertheless, temperatures are still milder than normal across New
England for this time of year.

In contrast, the western U.S. will remain milder than normal through the
Thanksgiving holiday.  The Pacific Northwest will receive periods of
mountain snow and low-elevation rain through the next couple of days with
a couple of Pacific systems moving onshore.  This will be followed by an
increasing chance of snow across Montana Friday morning, with what appears
to be an upslope snow event setting up across the region under arctic high
pressure intrusion from the north and low pressure system developing over
the central High Plains.

Elsewhere, thunderstorms across southern Texas early today are expected to
gradually taper off as the cold front advances farther southward later
today.

Kong


Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php