Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 307 AM EST Sat Nov 24 2018 Valid 12Z Sat Nov 24 2018 - 12Z Mon Nov 26 2018 ...Winter storm will bring heavy snow and strong winds from the Central Plains into the Great Lakes beginning Saturday night... ...Heavy snowfall likely in the higher terrain of the Intermountain West and the Rockies... ...Heavy rainfall will impact the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast on Saturday, with light ice accumulations possible in the Appalachians... On Saturday night and into Sunday morning, a closed upper level low will swing across the Plains and into the Mississippi Valley. At the surface, a surface low will track from the Rockies, moves across the Plains on Saturday evening and enters the middle Mississippi Valley by Sunday morning. This will lead to a winter storm likely to develop Saturday night and quickly strengthen by Sunday over the central U.S. Significant snowfall is possible from the central Plains to the Missouri River Valley on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. By Sunday and into Monday, the significant snowfall will shift to the Great Lakes. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds may produce blizzard conditions especially in the hardest-hit areas. Furthermore, dangerous travel conditions caused by heavy snow and reduced visibility are expected to end the Holiday weekend. The upper level system that will bring heavy snow to the central U.S. is currently causing the heavy rain and higher elevation snow across the West Coast. As that upper level system moves farther eastward, the precipitation will come to an end for California and the Pacific Northwest--shifting toward the Intermountain West today. Expect heavy snow across parts of the northern and central Rockies today. Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect across these regions. As the winter storm develops across the Plains, the snow will come to an end for the Rockies late tonight and into early Sunday morning. Showers will begin to spread across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, coming to an end for the Tennessee Valley and Southeast. As precipitation increases this morning, there will be a chance of light freezing rain accumulations across the central Appalachians northward into the Northeast. A surface low will develop in the Carolinas this afternoon and track northward across the Mid-Atlantic this evening and hug the New England coast on Sunday morning--bringing heavy rainfall with it. A marginal risk of excessive rainfall is possible for these areas through Sunday morning. The next round of showers will enter the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast on Monday morning with another incoming frontal system. The central U.S. will experience above average temperatures today ahead of the impending winter storm. By Sunday, as the strong cold front sweeps across this area, high temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below normal. For the eastern U.S., expect high temperatures to be below average today but will be a significant warm up from the last few days. By Sunday, temperatures will be near average. The western U.S. will be near to slightly above average for the weekend. Reinhart Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php