Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 210 AM EST Tue Feb 13 2018 Valid 12Z Tue Feb 13 2018 - 12Z Thu Feb 15 2018 ...Warming trend for the central and eastern U.S. through Thursday... ...After a brief warm up, a return to colder weather and snow expected for the northern high Plains beginning Wednesday night... An upper level low centered over the California/Nevada border early Tuesday morning will retrograde offshore through early Wednesday morning. The effects at the surface will be for waning rain and higher elevation snow during the day today from the Southwest into the Four Corners region. Additional snowfall for portions of the San Juan mountains above 10,000 feet is expected to range from 4 to 8 inches with 2 to 4 inches at lower elevations. An additional few inches of snow is also expected for the Wasatch in Utah. Farther north, quick moving Pacific and Canadian cold fronts will bring a shot of light to moderate precipitation to the northwestern U.S. beginning Tuesday night. Rain should be limited to coastal Washington and Oregon with rainfall totals generally below 1 inch. Snow is expected in the Cascades and farther inland along the northern Rockies, with snowfall totals varying by elevation but likely highest for the northern Washington Cascades into the far northern Rockies. Farther east, temperatures will warm to near average today after a very cold start across northern Montana, followed by slightly above average temperatures for Wednesday. However, the aforementioned Canadian cold front will bring a return to bitter cold for Thursday, high temperatures 20 degrees below average for eastern Montana into North Dakota, along with light snow. Out East, as high pressure edges eastward into the Atlantic today, return flow on the back side of the surface ridge will allow moisture and warmer air to advect into the Gulf Coast states and mid-Mississippi valley today and Thursday. By Wednesday, high temperatures are forecast to range from the 60s to 70s from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys as well as portions of the mid-Atlantic region. Scattered showers are expected from the upper Texas coast into Louisiana today, with precipitation expanding north and east for Wednesday. Temperatures will be warm enough for the precipitation type to fall as all rain as the precipitation makes its way into the Ohio valley Wednesday and Thursday. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php