Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 257 AM EST Wed Feb 07 2018 Valid 12Z Wed Feb 07 2018 - 12Z Fri Feb 09 2018 ...Heavy rain will continue over parts of the Gulf Coast states, Tennessee Valley and Southeast for today... ...Locally heavy snow and significant icing is expected across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast as the next winter storm arrives... ...Very mild temperatures will continue over most of the Western U.S. through the middle to latter part of the week with some record warmth possible... The weather across the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies will become more unsettled once again over the next couple of days as a new storm system drops southeast and approaches the region from British Columbia. This will allow a new surge of moisture to arrive which will bring rain to coastal areas of Washington, and locally very heavy snow across the northern Rockies. A particular emphasis will be on the Bitterroots and to an extent the Tetons where these locations are expected to see new snowfall totals of 1 to 3 feet through at least early Friday. Heavy snow will also be streaking out farther east across the northern High Plains and especially south-central to western Montana to the east of the Continental Divide as the same Pacific moisture fetch overruns an arctic frontal zone banked up against the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies. Significant snowfall totals here in excess of 1 foot can be expected over the next couple of days. The remainder of the Western U.S. though will be much drier and warmer by comparison as high pressure persists over the Great Basin. This should remain the general theme through the balance of the week, and will foster high temperatures of as much as 10 to 20 degrees above normal across the region. Some record warmth will be possible especially by Thursday as warmer air pools over the Great Basin ahead of the next storm system approaching the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, the next winter storm will be impacting parts of the Ohio Valley and Northeast today as a storm system developing over the lower Mississippi Valley lifts northeast up across the Tennessee Valley, central Mid-Atlantic and southern New England by this evening. Heavy snowfall can be expected north and west of the main low track and areas of the northern Mid-Atlantic region and interior Northeast will see the heaviest snowfall with some areas seeing as much as 6 to 12 inches. Just south of this axis of heavy snow will be a stripe of freezing rain which will extend from the Ohio Valley northeast up across southern New England. Some locally significant icing is expected. Farther south across the Gulf Coast states and into the Southeast, the concern will be heavy rain and thunderstorms today in association with the same storm system driving the winter weather hazards farther to the north. Heavy rain will also be impacting the Tennessee Valley and there will be some localized concerns for runoff problems and flooding with as much as 1 to 2 inches of rain before the storm system lifts out later today. Colder temperatures and drier conditions will arrive across the South and the Eastern U.S. in the wake of this system Thursday, although there will be some additional potential for lake effect snow downwind of Lake Ontario impacting the Tug Hill plateau region of western New York. Temperatures will be generally normal to below normal across the South and the East on Thursday, but a warmer trend will begin on Friday ahead of a new storm system that will be developing over the central Plains. Orrison Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php