Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 246 PM EST Tue Dec 06 2016 Valid 00Z Wed Dec 07 2016 - 00Z Fri Dec 09 2016 ...Snow to continue across portions of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest... ...Heavy rain and snow to spread across the West on Thursday... ...Arctic air will bring well below average temperatures to the Plains and Mississippi Valley mid-week... Beginning in the East: two systems are dominating the pattern right now for the eastern half of the U.S. A surface low is moving from the Southeast into the Carolinas today--and will move over the Atlantic by late Tuesday night. This system will bring showers and thunderstorms across the Southeast, Florida, and the Mid-Atlantic for the rest of the day. By early Wednesday morning, most of the showers and thunderstorms will be confined to South Florida as the front stalls across that region. In fact, expect showers and thunderstorms to linger across this area through Friday. The primary surface low will continue moving north along the East Coast and will bring lighter precipitation across the Northeast. Farther west, a deepening occluded system will track northeast over the Great Lakes. Precipitation wrapping around the surface low will bring snowfall to the northern Plains the rest of Tuesday--and with it blizzard conditions as strong winds behind the system are also expected. These blizzard conditions should end by this evening. Snow will taper off by late Tuesday night and begin to spread across the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. By Thursday, the low will be moving into Quebec; however, strong northwesterly winds will create a good set up for lake effect snow. Expect locally heavy snowfall amounts for both the upper and lower Great Lakes. Looking west, light precipitation will move across the Central Great Basin and central Rockies today through Wednesday--with higher elevations receiving snow. By Wednesday evening, most of the precipitation will dissipate over these regions before the next incoming Pacific system. On Thursday morning, an occluded front will approach the Northern California coastline--with precipitation spreading across Northern California, Oregon, and the central Great Basin. In fact, the amount and coverage of precipitation will continue increasing through Thursday night as the front continues to approach the coast. Snowfall along the higher elevations of the Cascades and the northern/central Rockies is expected on Thursday and into Friday. An Arctic high pressure will spill across the north and Central Plains on Tuesday/Wednesday--and will continue to bring very cold temperatures across the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley by Thursday. Temperatures are expected to be 10-25 degrees below normal for this time of year. Fanning Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php