Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 152 AM EST Thu Dec 14 2017 Valid 12Z Thu Dec 14 2017 - 12Z Sat Dec 16 2017 ...Lingering fire weather concerns for Southern California... ...Cold to linger across the Northeast into the weekend... Warm and dry conditions will persist across Southern California through at least Friday which will prolong ongoing conditions favorable for wildfire growth. Strengthening winds today will allow for an increase to "critical" conditions per the latest forecast from the Storm Prediction Center, but there will be some diurnal swings expected in wind strength into the weekend. An approaching cold front will bring light rain and mountain snow to portions of the Pacific Northwest beginning Friday morning, replacing poor air quality currently in place beneath a large upper level ridge. The storm system will be quick moving and will not have much moisture to work with which will limit rain and snow totals. Across the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S., upper level troughing will remain in place into the weekend which will keep the regions high temperatures about 5 to 15 degrees below average for mid-December. After the departure of snow from a storm system near Long Island this morning, lake effect snow showers will be common downwind of the Lakes but an upper level disturbance arriving across Michigan on Friday will bring increased coverage of snow. Snowfall accumulations away from the lake shore will be light from this next system, extending from northern Indiana/Ohio into northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Light to moderate accumulations resulting from lake effect snow bands will be found along the Michigan U.P., northern Lower Michigan and east of Lake Erie and Ontario through Saturday morning. Across the Great Plains, dry conditions will persist for much of the region, with temperatures near average today. However, rain is forecast to creep into southern Texas early on Friday north of a cold front. Farther north, winds will shift around to the west and southwest for Friday afternoon allowing highs to reach 10 to 20 degrees above average from the central to northern High Plains on Friday. Some adjustment toward cooler is anticipated for Saturday up north with the passage of a Pacific cold front, but temperatures will likely remain above average for locations from the Texas/Oklahoma border to eastern Montana into North Dakota. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php