Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 257 AM EST Fri Jan 24 2020 Valid 12Z Fri Jan 24 2020 - 12Z Sun Jan 26 2020 ...Wintry weather from the Upper Midwest to the Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northeast... ...Heavy rain and some areas of flooding will be possible in the central and southern Appalachians, and the Mid-Atlantic... ...Waves of unsettled weather in the Pacific Northwest where multiple bouts of heavy rain and heavy mountain snow are expected... There will be no shortage of active weather in the eastern U.S. this weekend thanks to a potent upper-level low pressure system slowly advancing towards the East Coast. Periods of snow will be most common in the Midwest and Great Lakes where several inches of snow will accumulate. Hazardous travel conditions are possible in parts of these aforementioned regions for the Friday morning commute. As the storm pushes east late Friday, so will its shield of precipitation which will encounter low level cold air in parts of the central and northern Appalachians Saturday morning. In response, precipitation will fall in the form of snow and freezing rain from northern Pennsylvania early Saturday to northern New England Saturday night. Over a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is possible in the higher elevations of the Northeast with a couple inches of snow also in play. Expect snow showers to linger around the Great Lakes into Sunday morning. The I-95 corridor will look to remain mostly rain for the duration of this storm system. To the south, heavy rain will be a concern as rainfall totals of as much as 1 to 2 inches with locally heavier amounts can be expected in the Virginia Blue Ridge on south to the Smokey Mountains later today. Rainfall rates may be high enough to generate areas of flash flooding in portions the central Appalachians and over the Virginia and Maryland Piedmont this evening and early Saturday morning. The plume of moisture associated with this system will advance north and east Saturday into the Northeast with heavy showers and breezy conditions along the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts. Most locations neighboring the I-95 corridor will receive around 1" of rainfall with locally higher amounts possible. Drier conditions will arrive first in the Mid-Atlantic Saturday evening while the Northeast will have to wait to dry out until Sunday morning. Switching coasts, several rounds of heavy precipitation will continue over the Northwest through into the weekend as a series of Pacific cold fronts push into the region. Heavy rain will be the primary precipitation type for the coastal ranges and valleys where as much as a few inches of rain are possible. Meanwhile, the Washington and Oregon Cascades will contend with heavy snow where snowfall totals as much as 2 feet are anticipated. Look for this active weather pattern to continue into the start of the upcoming week. Weekend temperatures across the contiguous U.S. will generally be near to above normal. The warmest anomalies will be found in the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest, and Intermountain West. One exception to this milder trend will be the Southeast where temperatures overall will average a few degrees below normal. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php