Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 332 PM EDT Tue Oct 27 2020 Valid 00Z Wed Oct 28 2020 - 00Z Fri Oct 30 2020 ...Snow continues across the southern Rockies to the southern High Plains while significant icing occurs from northern Texas to central and western Oklahoma... ...Hurricane Zeta is forecast to bring gusty winds and the threat of flash flooding from the central Gulf Coast north into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic through Thursday... ...Critical fire risks and high wind threat in California into the Desert Southwest today should lessen by Wednesday... A rather volatile weather pattern is in store from the southern Rockies to the Deep South and Mid-Atlantic states during the next couple of days as a major winter storm interacts with Hurricane Zeta--the 28th tropical cyclone in this extremely active hurricane season-- which is forecast to make landfall on the central Gulf Coast late on Wednesday. The energetic cold upper low that is responsible for the recent widespread snowfall down the Rockies will deliver more snow from the southern Rockies into the High Plains through Wednesday. An additional 3 to 6 inches of snow can be expected over the southern High Plains, including Northwest New Mexico to the Texas Panhandle, with lesser amounts in the southern Rockies. Meanwhile, as the low lifts milder air northward from the western Gulf of Mexico, a swath of freezing rain and mixed precipitation is forecast to continue into early Wednesday morning from northern Texas to western/central Oklahoma. Significant icing has already accumulated in portions of Texas and Oklahoma, widespread total ice accretion of one-quarter to one-half inch is likely to cause numerous travel delays, downed tree limbs, and power outages. Some locations could see as much as an inch of total ice accretion. Lighter yet still hazardous ice accumulations are expected for west-central Texas and southern Kansas. By Wednesday morning, the once frigid air-mass will moderate as warmer southerly flow should lead to a changeover from ice to rain throughout much of the central and southern Plains, but some lingering snow and ice are possible in eastern New Mexico, southeast Colorado, and both the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. The cold upper low will also play a large role in steering Hurricane Zeta northward across the Gulf of Mexico toward the central Gulf Coast. The eastern Louisiana coast appears to be the most likely location where Zeta will make landfall late on Wednesday. Rain and thunderstorms will expand in coverage across the interior Deep South tonight near a stalled frontal boundary. Winds and rain will steadily increase near the Louisiana coast on Wednesday, with hurricane conditions expected to arrive later in the afternoon into early evening on Wednesday. Residents within Zeta's projected forecast track need to continue monitoring Zeta's progress, begin making preparations, and follow the advice of local officials. Farther inland, a couple inches of heavy rain with locally higher amounts is forecast to expand eastward from the central Plains through the Mid-Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys for the next couple of days. This may lead to isolated instances of flash flooding. Meanwhile, 2 to 4 inches of rain with isolated amounts of 6 inches, along with potentially damaging wind gusts can be expected near the track of Zeta from eastern Louisiana to Alabama through Thursday morning. As Zeta pushes northeast along the eastern Appalachians on Thursday, even though it is expected to weaken to a tropical depression, heavy rain and gusty winds are still possible from western North Carolina to the Mid-Atlantic coast. Farther west, damaging Santa Ana winds across parts of California should slowly subside this evening as the pressure gradient weakens. However, critical fire weather remains in place along the higher elevations of southern California, the Sacramento Valley, and the lower Colorado River Valley today before lessening further on Wednesday. Snell/Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php