Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 245 AM EST Sun Dec 22 2013 Valid 12Z Sun Dec 22 2013 - 12Z Tue Dec 24 2013 ***Strong storm system to affect the East Coast through Monday*** ***Near record high temperatures for the Eastern U.S. Sunday*** ***Snow showers for the Northern Rockies*** A powerful multi-faceted storm system over the eastern half of the U.S. will continue to make weather headlines through Sunday and into Monday. A surface low tracking towards the northeast over the Great Lakes and into New England will create a plethora of winter weather concerns from the Upper Midwest to northern New England. A significant ice storm is expected for northern New York state, Vermont, New Hampshire, and into central Maine through Monday as a shallow layer of Arctic air near the surface undercuts a much warmer layer aloft. Most of the snowfall will be confined north of the border into southern Canada. The trailing cold front from this low will bring a band of moderate to heavy rainfall from the Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic region for Sunday and into early Monday. Scattered thunderstorms are also possible ahead of this front. Sunday will be another spring-like day across the East Coast with highs well into the 70s for many areas south of New York, along with elevated levels of humidity. This will be enough to set many daily record highs. A reality check is coming with much cooler weather arriving by Tuesday and for Christmas Day. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., dry conditions can be expected from the Desert Southwest to the Southern Plains. Several rounds of mainly light to moderate precipitation can be expected from the Pacific Northwest to the Colorado Rockies, with the most significant amounts in Washington state. More frigid conditions are expected for the Northern Plains for the beginning of the week. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php