Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 400 PM EDT Thu Mar 15 2018 Valid 00Z Fri Mar 16 2018 - 00Z Sun Mar 18 2018 ...Cold and snowy out West with up to a few feet of snow for the Sierra Nevada ranges... ...A winter storm bringing snow/ice to impact the central/northern High Plains into the Ohio Valley through Saturday morning... ...Severe storms will be possible across portions of the lower Mississippi valley on Friday and Saturday... ...An elevated to critical risk for wildfires will exist from the southern Rockies eastward into the southern/central Plains... A stormy weather pattern will continue over the lower 48 into the weekend with three notable areas of interest. First, out West, a large upper level low will continue to slowly drop south and east through Saturday. High temperatures for many west of the Continental Divide should be 5 to 15 degrees below average, supporting snow for many locations. The relatively slow movement of the upper level system will ensure heavy snow for orographically favored locations across the western U.S. with a focus across the Sierra Nevada where roughly 2 to 4 feet of new snow are expected through Saturday. Second, low pressure will begin to develop from eastern Colorado into western Kansas through Friday morning with snow developing northwest of the low center on Friday as colder air becomes established from the northern High Plains into northern Nebraska and eventually into portions of southern Minnesota and Iowa. The heaviest snow, 6-12 inches, is expected across the western South Dakota/Nebraska border. Freezing rain is also expected to be a concern with this storm system, with a threat extending from the mid-Missouri valley into portions of the Ohio valley. Farther south fire weather will be elevated with gusty winds and low relative humidities behind a developing dryline later today and Friday east of the southern and central Rockies. Thunderstorms are expected out ahead of a dryline with a slight risk for severe storms depicted by the Storm Prediction Center for Friday across portions of the lower Mississippi valley. Lastly, across the Northeast, while any additional snowfall accumulations should be light, temperatures will remain cold through the weekend with highs generally about 10 to 20 degrees below mid-March climatology. Winds will also remain gusty which will continue to keep wind chills a factor, especially across northern New England. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php