Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 337 AM EDT Tue Oct 8 2019 Valid 12Z Tue Oct 8 2019 - 12Z Thu Oct 10 2019 ...Big changes in the weather coming to much of the northern tier of the nation with much colder weather and snow... Big changes are coming to much of the nation through the middle of the week as a pronounced upper level trough drops southward across the western U.S. from Canada. This will result in a strong cold front crossing the Intermountain West and reaching the central and northern Plains by Thursday morning. Temperatures will turn sharply colder and be well below normal behind the front, with widespread accumulating snow expected across much of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming on Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday morning, and then reaching the western Dakotas by Wednesday night. Winter storm watches and warnings are in effect for 6 to 12 inches of snow, with scattered higher amounts likely. For the eastern U.S., a cold front is exiting the East Coast Tuesday morning after a rather mild day on Monday. An area of non-tropical low pressure should gradually develop over the offshore waters of the western Atlantic that will interact with the advancing cold front, acquiring some characteristics of a nor'easter. Although the highest winds and heaviest rain should remain offshore, locations from New Jersey to eastern Maine will likely have periods of rain for the middle of the week along with potentially higher tides than normal. Patchy areas of heavy showers and storms are also likely for the Florida Peninsula. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., sunny to partly cloudy conditions are expected from Texas to the Great Lakes region as surface high pressure remains in charge. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php