Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 419 AM EDT Fri Oct 23 2020 Valid 12Z Fri Oct 23 2020 - 12Z Sun Oct 25 2020 ...Significant snowfall expected to overspread the northern Rockies and the northern Plains into the weekend... ...Severe thunderstorms possible this morning over the Great Lakes while light snow gradually tapers off over the northern Plains later today... ...Cold air dives south through the Rockies and the Plains toward the eastern U.S. during the next few days... ...Elevated Fire Risk over parts of northern California and for the Four-Corners region... A low pressure system moving toward the Pacific Northwest is expected to bring a significant snowfall event across the northern Rockies and into the northern Plains through the next couple of days. The snow is expected to spread across interior northern Washington today and then increase in intensity over the northern Rockies and northern High Plains on Saturday as the system interacts with a surge of cold air from western Canada. Widespread snowfall of a foot or more can be expected to accumulate across these areas through Sunday morning along with strong and gusty northerly winds. Temperatures will plunge into the single digits for many locations by Sunday morning, with below zero readings forecast for the higher terrain of western Montana. High temperatures will stay only in the teens for the coldest locations. Meanwhile, Freeze warnings are in effect over parts of the central Plains early this morning behind a cold front. Over the Great Lakes today, a developing low pressure system along a sharp front could bring some strong to severe thunderstorms across the area as the system moves into Canada. Light snow over the northern Plains behind the system should gradually taper off later today. Meanwhile, very warm afternoon is forecast to continue today for much of the eastern U.S. The sharp cold front will bring noticeably colder air into the Ohio Valley on Saturday but much of the Southeast remains warmer than normal on Sunday as the front stalls across the Appalachians. The threat for fire weather remains elevated across northern California and the Four-Corners region under persistent warm and dry conditions with gusty winds. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php