Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 401 AM EDT Thu Oct 31 2019 Valid 12Z Thu Oct 31 2019 - 12Z Sat Nov 02 2019 ...Extremely critical and life threatening fire weather conditions will continue for portions of southern California today before conditions improve on Friday... ...Record cold in the West and anomalous warmth in the East for Halloween... ...Wet weather will greet Trick-or-Treaters from the Deep South to much of the East Coast while accumulating snow spreads across the Midwest and central Great Lakes... The extremely critical and life threatening fire weather conditions will continue today especially across the southern California coastal ranges before the strong winds subside by the evening. Winds across interior northern California may still be gusty through Friday but improving conditions are expected to set in by the weekend. Dry conditions, however, will remain across California over the next week as the overall weather pattern remains very unfavorable for precipitation along the West Coast. Meanwhile, widespread record cold temperatures will continue today across the western and central portions of the country. In contrast, the eastern U.S. remains anomalously warm. In between this huge contrast in temperature, a large-scale low pressure system is currently forming along the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys near a strong cold front. Widespread rainfall is expected to greet Trick-or-Treaters from the Deep South to much of the East Coast as the low pressure system intensifies rapidly and heads toward the Great Lakes today and into New England on Friday. The vigorous dynamics ahead of the cold front will likely bring a round of strong to severe thunderstorms across the central Appalachians followed by the Mid-Atlantic this evening. In addition, cold air wrapping around the strong low pressure system will bring accumulating wet snow across the Midwest today and into the central Great Lakes this evening. Parts of the central Appalachians into western New England may see rain heavy enough to cause some flooding issues before the rain ends as a period of wet snow tonight. Behind the system, the weather pattern appears to quiet down for the weekend. Nevertheless, a much weaker system is forecast to spread scattered snow and mixed precipitation across the northern Plains tonight into Friday, and into the Great Lakes early on Saturday. The cold air in the West will be modified and ushered into the eastern U.S. behind the strong cold front bringing below normal temperatures into the region. The central U.S. will remain colder than normal. Meanwhile, a warming trend should begin along the West Coast. Have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone! Kong/Oravec Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php