Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 313 PM EST Mon Dec 02 2013 Valid 00Z Tue Dec 03 2013 - 00Z Thu Dec 05 2013 ...Winter storm to bring heavy snow to the higher terrain of the Central Rockies, as well as across the Northern High Plains and Upper Midwest... ...Well below normal temperatures move into the West and Central U.S.... A rather strong upper level low currently over the Pacific Northwest is forecast to continue dropping southeastward into the Northern Rockies by Wednesday, pushing a surface cold front south and east ahead of it. Very cold temperatures drawn in from Canada, combined with strong vertical lift, should be enough to support widespread heavy snow from the Northern and Central Rockies into the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Winter Storm watches, warnings, and advisories are currently in effect for much of the Intermountain West, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest. Light to moderate snow will begin across the Northern Rockies, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest on Monday night, and eventually spread into the higher terrain of the Central Rockies by Tuesday afternoon. At this point, it appears the heaviest of the snow accumulations should be confined to the highest terrain of the Central Rockies with storm totals ranging from 12 to 18 inches across the Wasatch range of Utah, to as much as 24 or more inches in the Central Rockies. Farther east across extreme Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, anywhere from 10 to 18 inches of snow is possible. Behind the surface front, frigid temperatures are expected to move into much of the Western and Central U.S as a strong surface high pressure moves south from Northern Canada. By Wednesday, temperatures could be as much as 20 to 30 degrees below normal with daytime highs struggling to make it out of the single digits across the Upper Intermountain West, Northern Rockies, and parts of the Northern Plains. Gusty winds associated with a strong pressure gradient behind the front is also possible across these regions as the system continues to push eastward. Elsewhere, a coastal storm moving north in the Atlantic should be just far enough offshore to keep most of the precipitation out to sea. The exception to this is across Northern New England where some light to moderate precipitation could clip the coast lines, however the heaviest of the rain should remain over the open waters. Across the southeast, some scattered showers or thunderstorms may also be possible as clockwise flow around a surface high pressure brings southerly surface winds and limited moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the region. Monarski Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php