Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 259 PM EST Wed Jan 22 2020 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 23 2020 - 00Z Sat Jan 25 2020 ...Wintry weather expected for the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley to Upper Great Lakes region... ...Active weather with flooding possible over the Pacific Northwest... An upper-level trough over the Plains to Midwest is forecast to be reinforced by additional, more potent upper-level energy on Thursday. This combined with a myriad of surface fronts will lead to precipitation across portions of the Plains into the Mississippi Valley and Upper Great Lakes region through Thursday. Rain is expected for much of the Lower Mississippi Valley, but freezing rain will be a threat for the Ozarks, with greater than a tenth of an inch of ice forecasted there. Farther north, 4 to 6 inches of snow is expected for northern Missouri into the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes. As a surface low pressure system consolidates Thursday night into Friday and moves northeast, snow will spread into parts of Pennsylvania and New York, while some freezing rain potential exists in the Central Appalachians, and rain is forecast for the Tennessee Valley, Southeast, and southern parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Periods of precipitation will continue for the Northwest through the end of the workweek as ample moisture flows into the region and a front passes through slowly. Upslope flow is expected to enhance precipitation totals of the Cascades, Olympics, and Coastal Ranges. The lower elevations should remain all rain for the precipitation type, and flooding is possible in western Washington and northwestern Oregon through Thursday night. Snow levels are actually expected to rise to 5000-6000 feet Wednesday night, so rain could fall on snowpack in some areas, but some snow is expected in the highest peaks of the Cascades and into the Northern Rockies. Temperatures over the contiguous U.S. will generally be near to above average over the next couple of days. Cooler spots are forecast to be portions of the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley and into the Southeast on Thursday, but minimum temperatures should be at or above average most everywhere by Friday morning. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php