Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 253 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018 Valid 12Z Sat Dec 8 2018 - 12Z Mon Dec 10 2018 ...Winter storm to bring ice and snow from the southern plains to the Appalachians, and heavy rain from eastern Texas to South Carolina... A strong storm system crossing the Gulf Coast region early Saturday morning will take a southerly track across the Deep South and then to the southeast U.S. coast through the weekend. In the warm sector of the surface low, heavy rain is forecast from southeast Texas to South Carolina in response to a deep surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The Weather Prediction Center currently has a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall for Saturday and Saturday night from Louisiana to Georgia, with 1 to 3 inches of rainfall expected. The rainfall rates are expected to be high at times, increasing the threat of flooding. Flash flood watches are also in effect for parts of this region. As the surface low tracks eastward roughly along the Florida Gulf Coast and then the southeast U.S. coast through late Sunday, a swath of accumulating snow and ice is expected to extend from eastern Tennessee to south-central Virginia. Winter storm warnings are now in effect from northwest South Carolina to southwest Virginia. Snowfall amounts in these areas could reach a foot or more, particularly for the mountains of western North Carolina. Travel will likely be severely affected across much of these areas, and some power outages are also possible. Mixed precipitation and wet snow across the Piedmont areas of the Carolinas and southern Virginia will tend to lower overall accumulations there, but may still disrupt travel. Winter weather advisories are also in effect from eastern New Mexico to the Memphis area with some light to moderate snow and ice accumulations possible, and winter storm warnings for the Ozarks of northern Arkansas. Elsewhere across the nation, some lake effect snow is likely across parts of Michigan and New York on Saturday as cold northwesterly flow crosses the warmer lake waters. Showers and mountain snow returns to western Washington and Oregon on Saturday as a cold front approaches from the eastern Pacific. Colder than normal temperatures are expected to persist across much of the central and northern U.S. through the weekend with a large Canadian surface high in place. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php