Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 219 PM EST Wed Jan 23 2019 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 24 2019 - 00Z Sat Jan 26 2019 ...Winter storm impacting parts of the Great Lakes and Northern New England tonight... ...Active weather in the Pacific Northwest will gradually abate in the next couple of days... ...Dangerous wind chills and blizzard conditions return to the northern Plains and Midwest tonight into Thursday... A winter storm will continue to spread snow from the Great Lakes toward northern New England tonight, as the associated low pressure system intensifies and moves across these areas. Some mixed precipitation can also be expected near the track of the storm center tonight across the interior Northeast. South of the storm track, rain is expected ahead of a strong cold front with some potential of heavy rain along the East Coast Thursday afternoon. Widespread rain totals of around an inch or more are forecast, with localized flash flooding possible across coastal Northeast. The central to eastern Gulf coast region will have best chance of seeing thunderstorms tonight, some of which could become severe as the cold front approaches. As the system exits the East Coast on Thursday, a brief change over to snow will be possible across the Appalachians and interior Northeast. Meanwhile, moisture associated with what used to be an energetic Pacific cyclone is bringing moderate to heavy snow across the northern Rockies. The strong upper-level flow will continue to carry the moisture further south across the Intermountain region in the form of snow. The snow will then move into the High Plains early Thursday just as the next surge of arctic air arrives from central Canada. A clipper type low pressure system developing along an arctic front could bring a period of snow squalls across the upper Midwest later tonight into Thursday morning. The combination of snow cover and strong winds will lead to blizzard conditions across portions of the northern Plains. Frigid air will then usher into the Plains behind this clipper as an arctic high pressure system plunges southward. High temperatures on Thursday and Friday will struggle to reach above zero from North Dakota to Wisconsin, with widespread wind chill values between minus 10 and minus 30. Behind the arctic front, the lake effect snow belts will become active with heavy snow expected in the Great Lakes. Snell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php