Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 452 AM EDT Wed Oct 28 2020 Valid 12Z Wed Oct 28 2020 - 12Z Fri Oct 30 2020 ...Hurricane Zeta continues to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall across southeastern Louisiana later this afternoon... ...Widespread heavy rain expected to expand eastward from the central Plains to the northern Mid-Atlantic during the next couple of days... ...Snow and ice today across the southern High Plains will taper off tonight... ...Fire risks diminishing across the Southwest... A very volatile weather pattern continues to unfold from across the central U.S. to the Deep South for the next couple of days as an energetic cold upper-level low associated with a winter storm interacts more closely with Hurricane Zeta, which is beginning to expand in size and intensify more rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico. The cold upper low will deliver additional snowfall and ice for the southern High Plains today before ending as mostly rain tonight. Meanwhile, Hurricane Zeta is forecast to intensify further over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall across the coast of southeastern Louisiana later this afternoon. Strong southerly flow aloft ahead of the upper low will transport tropical moisture northward from the Gulf and interact with a stalled front extending across the Deep South and the Appalachians. This will result in heavy rain to quickly expand eastward from the central Plains to the Mid-Mississippi Valley and the southern Appalachians today; followed by the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians and much of the northern Mid-Atlantic states on Thursday. The most hazardous weather conditions will be near and along the track of Hurricane Zeta. Winds and rain will steadily increase near the Louisiana coast this morning before hurricane conditions and storm surge arriving with the core of Zeta during the afternoon today. Potentially damaging wind gusts can extend well inland near the track of Zeta as it accelerates across interior southeastern U.S. and the Appalachians from tonight into Thursday, and then across the Mid-Atlantic later on Thursday. 2 to 4 inches of rain with isolated amounts of 6 inches can be expected from the central Plains eastward to the northern Mid-Atlantic, as well as along Zeta's track during the next couple of days. By Thursday night into early on Friday, the core of Zeta should be embedded within a large low pressure system complex while weakening quite a bit and losing tropical characteristics as it tracks across the southern Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic. However, winds associated with Zeta could still pack quite a punch along with heavy downpours. The entire storm system will be in the process of exiting the East Coast early on Friday. Some wintry precipitation can be expected over interior New England as the northern edge of the storm system brushes across the region. Relatively tranquil and cold weather is expected for the northern U.S. while warmer than normal weather is expected for much of the West. Over the Southwest, Santa Ana winds continue to subside as the pressure gradient weakens further. However, the fire risk remains at an elevated level for parts of southern California and the southern Great Basin for today. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php