Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 257 AM EST Tue Feb 26 2019 Valid 12Z Tue Feb 26 2019 - 12Z Thu Feb 28 2019 ...Heavy rain forecast for the Northern California coast, with flooding possible... ...Multiple feet of snow expected in the Sierra Nevada... ...20 to 40 degrees below normal temperatures continue for the Northern/Central Plains and Upper Midwest, and snow is possible as well... ...Rain and thunderstorms expected across the Gulf Coast states... The western U.S. will continue to have active weather throughout the middle of the week, as an upper-level low spins off the Pacific Northwest coast and additional upper-level energy passes through on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Precipitation will fall as rain along the Northern California coast, and heavy rain is likely. A Slight Risk of excessive rainfall is in place on Tuesday and Tuesday night there, including for the San Francisco Bay Area, before the moisture plume is pushed southward by a cold frontal passage by Wednesday morning. Higher elevations are expecting multiple feet of snow--the Sierra Nevada has an additional 2 to 4 feet of snow in the forecast through Wednesday night, while the Shasta range, Sawtooth Mountains, and the Tetons/Wind River Mountains could all see 1 to locally 3 feet of snow over the next couple of days. A couple of surface high pressure systems will make their way through the northern tier of the CONUS, bringing bitterly cold air with them. High temperatures of 20 to 40 degrees below average are forecast across the Northern/Central Plains and into the Upper Midwest, with pockets of more than 40 degrees below average in Montana on Tuesday. Wind Chill Advisories are in effect through Tuesday morning in parts of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. A strong cold front will spread cold temperatures into parts of the Southern Plains as well, though just to the south, temperatures of 5 to 15 degrees above average are expected in Texas and into the southeastern U.S. Along with the cold air to the north, some light to moderate snow is also possible as upper-level energy traverses across the region. Snow is expected to spread from the Northern Plains Tuesday into the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes Tuesday night, and into the Lower Great Lakes and Northeast on Wednesday. A swath of 4 to 6 inches of snow is expected, with locally higher amounts. As a warm front approaches and lingers near the Gulf Coast, the flow of moisture will return, and showers and thunderstorms are forecast to overspread the Gulf Coast states over the next couple of days. There is a Marginal Risk of severe weather across the central Gulf Coast today, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are expected. Farther north, some light freezing rain is possible for portions of the Southern/Central Plains and the Middle Mississippi Valley. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php