Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 306 PM EST Tue Dec 10 2019 Valid 00Z Wed Dec 11 2019 - 00Z Fri Dec 13 2019 ...Rain will change over to snow tonight and early morning Wednesday in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic... ...Bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills in the Upper Midwest, lake effect snow bands to last through midweek... ...Pacific moisture takes aim at the Northwest on Wednesday and into latter half of the week... A cold front stretching from the northern Appalachians to the western Gulf of Mexico is marching towards the East Coast this afternoon. This front is responsible for widespread showers and periods of rain extending from the southern Plains to the Northeast. Behind the cold front, precipitation is falling in the form of snow and a wintry mix across parts of the Mid-South where light accumulations are possible. As sub-freezing temperatures aloft funnel in behind the cold front, rain will changeover to snow in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast tonight and early Wednesday morning. Light accumulations are possible in the Northeast megalopolis and the central and southern Appalachians. Icy conditions are possible for the Wednesday morning commute in these aforementioned regions. Drier and chilly conditions will follow behind the morning wintry weather for Wednesday afternoon. Further north and west, the Upper Midwest will try to keep warm as sub-zero temperatures are forecast across the region Wednesday morning. Gusty winds will cause wind chills to drop to as low as 20 to 30 degrees below zero in parts of eastern North Dakota, northern Minnesota, and northern Wisconsin and Michigan. In addition, bands of lake effect snow showers will develop over the Upper Great Lakes tonight and persist through Wednesday evening. Snow totals may approach a foot in spots where lake effect bands are quasi-stationary. A Pacific storm system will send precipitation toward the Northwest U.S. on Wednesday. Widespread showers and mountain snow is expected across the region with rainfall totals over 1" along the I-5 corridor. Heavy snowfall totals are likely in the Cascades late Wednesday and into Thursday. Moisture from this system will track further inland Thursday where valley rain and mountain snow will be common throughout the northern Rockies. Occasionally gusty winds will also be possible through the end of the week. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php