Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 410 AM EDT Fri Mar 16 2018 Valid 12Z Fri Mar 16 2018 - 12Z 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 and ice to impact the Central/Northern High Plains into the Ohio Valley through Saturday morning... ...Strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible across portions of the lower Mississippi valley on Friday and Saturday... ...An elevated to critical risk for wildfires continues for the Southern Rockies eastward into the southern/central Plains... Scattered to widespread snow is expected for much of the West as an upper-level low slowly drops south and east over the region. The favored higher terrain areas will have long duration of heavy snow - especially for the Sierras where 2 to 4 feet of accumulating snow is expected. Winter Weather Advisories and Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for portions of California, Oregon and Nevada. Much of the Rockies and adjacent High Plains will have snow as well with a frontal boundary and developing low along the front range combined with the approaching cold front over the Great Basin/Intermountain West. 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 dangers will be elevated due to gusty winds and low relative humidity behind a developing dryline east of the Southern and Central Rockies into the Great Plains. the Storm Prediction Center has identified a marginal risk for strong thunderstorm development for portions of the lower Mississippi valley. A cold front will drop south from Canada this weekend bringing another shot of cold air to the Northeast and northern Mid-Atlantic. Several locations will have temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees below mid-March averages. Any additional snowfall accumulations should be light. Winds will also remain gusty which will continue to keep wind chills a factor, especially across northern New England through the weekend. Campbell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php