Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 349 PM EDT Sun Mar 12 2017 Valid 00Z Mon Mar 13 2017 - 00Z Wed Mar 15 2017 ...Late-season winter storm for the East Coast on Tuesday... Arctic air will plunge through the central U.S. as surface high pressure slides southward from Canada-- keeping temperatures much cooler temperatures through at least midweek for the central and eastern states. The mid/upper-level features with this front will help develop and strengthen a wave offshore the the Southeast Coast on Monday. This system will rapidly deepen into a powerful winter storm as it tracks northward up the Eastern Seaboard. A vast area spanning from the Mid-Atlantic to New England will have snow ranging from a few inches to well over 1 foot. Eastern Massachusetts to eastern Maine has the best potential for the highest snowfall totals with this nor'easter. Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings cover much of the Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi valley/Lower Great Lakes/Northeast and winter storm watches from the Central Appalachians/Mid-Atlantic to the Maine. The rapid drop in central low pressure with this system will lead to very strong winds along the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast coast-- coastal flooding may be possible for prone areas across this region. There is still some uncertainty with respect to the track of the low and the axis of heaviest snowfall, and these details will come into better focus over the next day or so. Elsewhere... expect warm and dry conditions to persist for the Southwest. The lower elevations of the Desert Southwest could even reach the lower 90s for highs over the next few days with an upper level ridge in place. Onshore flow across the Pacific Northwest will keep scattered showers around, with snow in the Cascades and Northern Rockies. Campbell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php