Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
251 AM EST Thu Jan 06 2022

Valid 12Z Thu Jan 06 2022 - 12Z Sat Jan 08 2022

...Coastal heavy rain, mountain snow and inland icing threat from the
Pacific Northwest into the Northern/Central Rockies...

...Heavy Lake effect snow continues today...

...Much below normal temperatures will spread from the Great Plains into
the Midwest...

...Another winter storm possible from the Tennessee Valley to the
Northeast through Friday...


An active weather pattern will continue to direct a plume of Pacific
moisture towards the Northwestern U.S. over the next couple of days. This
will result in a threat for heavy to excessive rainfall, mainly for
favorable upslope regions along the Washington and northern Oregon coasts
where WPC is currently highlighting a Slight Risk in this location for
Friday. Meanwhile, sufficient cold air will spill into the Pacific
Northwest and Northern/Central Rockies setting the stage for potentially
significant snowfall in the higher terrain, measured in feet. Accumulating
snow and ice is also possible in the lower elevations of eastern
Washington into Friday. Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories are in effect
for much of the Northwest.

A low pressure system lifting into eastern Canada will allow for heavy
lake effect snow as chilly westerly winds blow over the still relatively
warm lakes. Favorable locations downwind of the lakes could see 6 to 12
inches of snow by Saturday morning, with locally higher amounts. Behind
the cold front associated with this system, arctic air will surge farther
south and east into the Great Plains and eventually the Midwest by Friday.
Sub-zero daytime highs will engulf the northern Plains today while
temperatures as much as 20-25 degrees below normal will overspread the
Central Plains, parts of the southern Plains, and eastward into the
Midwest and Ohio Valley on Friday.

Today, a wave of low pressure is forecast to develop along the arctic
front draped across the Deep South. Light snowfall is possible to the
north of the front from Kansas into Missouri where a couple of inches of
snow is forecast. As the low tracks through the Southeast today, heavy
snowfall is expected to develop across parts of the Tennessee Valley into
the Central Appalachians, with some ice farther to the south across
portions of southern/eastern Tennessee and northern Mississippi/Alabama.
The combination of snow and ice may cause hazardous road conditions
through tonight in this region. As the low moves off the Mid-Atlantic
coast Friday morning and rapidly deepens offshore, accumulating snow will
also spread into the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, where a few inches
are possible. Higher amounts may be realized across eastern portions of
New England, but exact amounts remain uncertain and highly dependent on
the exact track of the low off the coast. Winter Storm Warnings and
Advisories are in effect for much of the Tennessee Valley, Central
Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. The departing low pressure system will
produce moderate lake effect snow over the Lower Great Lakes while
simultaneously generating high winds across the Northeast.

Kebede/Santorelli


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