Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 356 PM EDT Thu Oct 31 2019 Valid 00Z Fri Nov 01 2019 - 00Z Sun Nov 03 2019 ...A dark and stormy Halloween night expected along and east of the Appalachians... ...Conditions becoming less favorable for the spreading of wildfires Friday into Saturday across California... ...Record cold across portions of the Southwest and southern Plains in the wake of strong cold front Friday and Saturday... Anomalously warm and humid conditions are in place across the eastern U.S. this Halloween in advance of a strong cold front currently stretching from the upper Ohio Valley to the Florida Panhandle. An abrupt change in temperature associated with the cold front will be partially responsible for heavy rain containing strong to severe storms near the frontal boundary for many of the East Coast states. An eastward moving line of intense thunderstorms is expected later this afternoon into the overnight hours from the Mid-Atlantic region to southern and central New York, likely impacting Halloween related activities. Tornadoes and damaging straight line winds will be the primary hazards as highlighted by the Storm Prediction Center, with a focus from northern North Carolina into southern and eastern Pennsylvania. High temperatures will drop 20-30 degrees behind the cold front on Friday compared to Thursday, as winds gusting from 40-60 mph usher in a change in air mass in the immediate wake of a strong low pressure center tracking into southern Quebec. Rain changing to snow is expected through this evening for lower Michigan with light snow accumulations expected by Friday morning. Farther back to the west, record low temperatures will be possible on Friday and Saturday from Texas into Oklahoma and from Arizona into southern California. The weather across the nation will become fairly quiet in the wake of the departing East Coast storm system. This includes the extremely critical fire weather in place across southern California. Strong ridging across the Intermountain West is expected to weaken this weekend with improving conditions noted For Saturday and Sunday across the state of California with a diminishing of winds and higher relative humidities, both of which will reduce the threat for wildfires. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php