Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 251 AM EST Sat Jan 12 2019 Valid 12Z Sat Jan 12 2019 - 12Z Mon Jan 14 2019 ...Winter storm expected to produce widespread snow and some freezing rain from the central plains to the mid-Atlantic region... A significant winter storm has developed across the central U.S. Friday night and will continue to make weather headlines over the weekend. A swath of moderate to heavy snow is expected from central Kansas to the Ohio Valley through Saturday, centered roughly along the Interstate 70 corridor. The highest snowfall totals are expected to be realized from central Missouri to southern Illinois, with amounts on the order of 6 to 12 inches likely. Freezing rain is expected south of this same general area to include the Ozarks and areas along the Ohio River. Farther to the south from eastern Texas to the Deep South, numerous showers and some thunderstorms are expected with rainfall amounts of half an inch to an inch expected. By Saturday night and into Sunday, a new surface low develops near the southeast U.S. coast and results in a second area of enhanced precipitation. Winter storm warnings are in effect for much of eastern West Virginia and into central Virginia for the potential of 5 to 10 inches of snow, particularly for the western Virginia mountains. Significant icing is becoming increasingly likely for the southern Appalachians and adjacent Piedmont region of North Carolina and southwest Virginia, with ice accretion perhaps exceeding a quarter inch for some areas. There will likely cause severe disruptions to travel along with the potential for power outages. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., a storm system over the eastern Pacific will move onshore over southern California on Saturday, and then reach the Desert Southwest by Sunday. Enhanced rainfall is expected for parts of central and southern California this weekend as a result, with rainfall totals generally under an inch expected. Dry conditions are expected from the Pacific Northwest to the northern plains, and also for New England as the winter storm stays south of that region. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php