Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 243 PM EST Sat Dec 30 2017 Valid 00Z Sun Dec 31 2017 - 00Z Tue Jan 02 2018 ...Wintry mix expected for portions of Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley and Alabama into the day on Sunday... ...Bitter cold arctic air will affect most locations east of the Rockies with record low temperatures possible... The cold weather pattern will continue through the start of the new year as the leading edge of a reinforcing shot of modified arctic air reaches the Gulf Coast states tonight. Sunday morning lows of roughly -20 to -30 are expected from Montana into the Dakotas and Minnesota which are about 20 to 30 degrees below average for this time of year. A weakening upper level disturbance will track southeastward from the northern Rockies tonight with scattered snow showers streaking eastward across portions of the Midwest. Farther south, overrunning of the cold arctic air is expected to lead to the development of scattered rain showers with freezing rain to the north from Texas/Oklahoma across the lower Mississippi valley beginning tonight. Rain with a wintry mix on the northern edges will spread eastward into Alabama on Sunday with difficult travel conditions expected, despite relatively light amounts of frozen precipitation. The bitter cold weather will stay in place for many locations east of the Rockies through New Year's Day with record low minimum and maximum temperatures possible from Canada to the Gulf Coast through Monday. The coldest temperatures will focus across the north central U.S. with high temperatures staying below zero from Montana into the the Dakotas, Nebraska and the upper Mississippi valley. Farther east, lake effect snow showers will be common downwind of the Great Lakes with light to moderate snowfall accumulations expected for Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php