Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 234 AM EST Thu Dec 20 2018 Valid 12Z Thu Dec 20 2018 - 12Z Sat Dec 22 2018 ...Severe storms possible across Florida today with locally heavy rain and possible flooding in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic... ...Record mild temperatures into the Northeast Friday... ...Another system will bring more rain and snow to the Northwest today... An organizing system along the central Gulf Coast will continue to deepen today as its attendant cold front moves into the Florida peninsula. With strong southerly winds ahead of the front and a moisture plume emanating from near Central America, widespread rainfall (1-2") and embedded thunderstorms (some severe) are likely from the Southeast into the Mid-Atlantic today. Flood watches are in effect for much of the east -- turn around, don't drown. In addition, a warm front will surge northwestward toward the Appalachians with much milder air preceding the cold front which will keep temperatures quite mild overnight tonight. On Friday, the main surface low will continue to lift northward toward Lake Ontario with an anomalously strong southerly push of mild air into New England. Flooding may be possible given rather wet antecedent conditions and an airmass more typical of mid-fall rather than early winter. Though some wintry precipitation is likely ahead of the warm front, all of the Northeast will see temperatures rise above freezing on Friday. Around this dynamic system will be a secondary cold front that will usher in cooler temperatures to the Southeast on Friday. Another cold front dropping through the Great Lakes will bring back more typical colder temperatures to the eastern Great Lakes late Friday into Saturday with some snow showers into the west slopes of the Appalachians. Another surface low moving through the northeastern Pacific will continue to bring some rain/snow to the region along its warm front, but the brunt of the precipitation will be into British Columbia. Nevertheless, several inches of snow are likely over the Cascades today with breezy/windy conditions especially along the coast. The deep low will generate rough seas offshore WA/OR about 20-25ft today as the cold front approaches then pushes into the coast. Temperatures will be above normal today over most of the West but cooler than normal tomorrow in much of western Washington/Oregon behind the cold front. Farther east, the Front Range will see temperatures well above normal tomorrow into the 60s but perhaps a few degrees shy of record highs for the date. Fracasso Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php