Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 323 PM EST Tue Feb 08 2022 Valid 00Z Wed Feb 09 2022 - 00Z Fri Feb 11 2022 ...Early taste of spring spreading east across much of the continental U.S.; record warmth possible in California; Critical Risk of fire in the central Plains... ...Snow departing Maine as damp and cloudy weather in Florida will be followed by slow clearing on Wednesday... ...Periods of mixed rain and snow expected from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes the next couple of days... As the main jet stream is forecast to retreat slightly further north during the next couple of days, much of the continental U.S. will experience a gradual warm up, leading to a gradual expansion of above normal temperatures from west to east. Mild and dry conditions across the northern/central Plains today will be replaced by slightly cooler air on Wednesday behind a cold front, but milder than normal conditions for early February persists. Fire danger is forecast to be at critical levels over a good portion of the central Plains through tonight due to gusty downslope winds and dry conditions. By Wednesday, the focus of warm weather will shift to the immediate coastal areas of California where high temperatures are forecast to climb into the mid to upper 80s in parts of southern California. These temperatures will challenge high temperature records for the day. In advance of this anomalous February heat, an Excessive Heat Watch that includes the Los Angeles metro area has been issued from late Wednesday into Friday. The West Coast is not the only region expected to see temperatures resembling more like spring rather than winter. Even much of the eastern U.S. will witness high temperatures reaching into the 50s and 60s over the Mid-Atlantic, which are levels normally seen in March. Precipitation-wise, snow associated with a quick-hitting coastal storm that has already resulted in more than a foot of snow across interior northern New England is expected to taper off by Wednesday morning as the storm moves further away into the Canadian Maritimes. Farther south, the Sunshine State will see more widespread showers and plenty of clouds through tonight. Drier conditions along with sunshine are forecast to progress from north to south across the state on Wednesday. Elsewhere, a low pressure system is tracking slowly through southern Canada through tonight and then across the Great Lakes on Wednesday. Periods of snow and mixed precipitation at some locations are likely across these areas through Wednesday. The heaviest snowfall is expected to be confined to areas along the northern coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula where there will be a little more lake enhancement. Some rain and snow showers are forecast to make their way across the central Appalachians Wednesday night into Thursday morning followed by New England on Thursday. Meanwhile, an upper level disturbance diving south through the northern High Plains on Wednesday will produce periods of snow in the Black Hills and central Rockies. By Thursday, a developing clipper low pressure system dipping through the Canadian prairies is forecast to bring another round of light to moderate snow into the upper Midwest as mild and dry weather once again expands eastward from the northern High Plains. Kong/Mullinax Graphics are available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php