Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 258 AM EST Sun Dec 29 2019 Valid 12Z Sun Dec 29 2019 - 12Z Tue Dec 31 2019 ...Potent winter storm is expected across the Northern Plains and the Interior Northeast through Monday... A major winter storm is in progress across the north-central U.S. as a strong surface low slowly tracks across the Upper Midwest. Heavy snow with blizzard conditions at times is expected from northern Nebraska to northern Minnesota, with storm total snowfall in excess of a foot possible across the eastern Dakotas and northwest Minnesota. By Monday, the axis of heaviest snow becomes centered over northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with 6 to 12 inches of snow likely. Severe travel disruptions are likely for these areas through Monday. The Northeast U.S. is also expected to have impactful winter weather as a second surface low develops south of the New England coast Monday morning. A major ice storm is becoming more likely across northern New York and into central New England as warm air advection and moisture flux from the Atlantic Ocean overrides a shallow layer of sub-freezing temperatures near the surface. The potential exists for a quarter to half an inch of ice accretion, and this will likely cause havoc for travelers and disrupt electrical service. Snow and sleet should be confined farther north near the Canadian border where several inches of snow accumulation is expected. Mainly rain is expected closer to the coast and for the major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., additional rainfall is expected for California through Sunday night as an upper level low and surface front tracks southward along the West Coast. Mainly dry and cold conditions are forecast across the Rockies and the southern Plains as high pressure governs the weather pattern there. Temperatures are expected to well above normal for much of the eastern U.S. on Sunday, and then for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast on Monday ahead of the cold front. A few record high temperatures are possible. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php