Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 333 PM EST Sat Jan 16 2016 Valid 00Z Sun Jan 17 2016 - 00Z Tue Jan 19 2016 ...Well below-normal temperatures continuing across portions of the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest... ...Strong to severe storms possible for parts of Florida... ...Heavy precipitation possible for portions of the Pacific Northwest and northern California... Well below-normal temperatures are expected to remain in place across the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest into early next week -- with temperatures remaining below zero Fahrenheit through the weekend across much of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Combined with the winds, apparent temperatures are expected to drop as low as 30 to 40 degrees below zero across portions of the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest. Below average temperatures are forecast to spill further to the south and east -- extending into the southern Great Plains and across the Midwest into the eastern U.S. by Monday. Further east, snow across Maine is forecast to diminish Saturday night, as low pressure now off of the New England coast moves further offshore. Arctic air spilling across the relatively warm Great Lakes is forecast to support lake effect snow showers, producing locally heavy accumulations downwind of the lakes. Across the Southeast, an area of low pressure is forecast to intensify over the western Gulf of Mexico Saturday evening and track across the northern Gulf, reaching the Florida peninsula Sunday morning. This system is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms to the central and eastern Gulf Coast regions. Some of these storms may be strong to severe, particularly across central and southwest Florida Sunday morning. Across the West, the frontal system currently moving into the Pacific Northwest and northern California is expected to dissipate, but is forecast to be followed quickly by another system moving onshore Sunday morning. This system is expected to bring heavy precipitation to portions of coastal Oregon and northern California. Mountain snows and valley rains are expected to spread across the Great Basin into the northern and central Rockies as this system presses further inland on Sunday and Monday. Pereira Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php