Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 300 AM EST Mon Dec 07 2020 Valid 12Z Mon Dec 07 2020 - 12Z Wed Dec 09 2020 ...Wet start to the week in the Southeast, light snow in parts of the Mid-Atlantic... ...Critical Fire Weather risk in Southern California, Air Stagnation Advisories in the Northwest... ...Mild and dry from the Plains to California, chilly along the East Coast... A potent upper level trough is forcing an area of low pressure to develop off the Southeast coast this morning. This quick moving storm system is making for a damp start to the week from the Carolinas to Florida. A little farther north, precipitation looks to fall in the form of snow from the southern Appalachians to southern Virginia. Light accumulations of a coating to one inch will be the most commonly observed snowfall totals in these areas. Look for conditions to dry out across the Southeast and southern Mid-Atlantic by late afternoon as high pressure builds from the west build in overhead on Tuesday. In the West, mostly dry conditions continue as an expansive area of high pressure stretches from the Northwest to the Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, a deepening upper level low off the Southern California coast late Monday is causing a surface low pressure system to form, thus tightening the pressure gradient over the region and fostering an increasingly windy environment over the region. This results in yet another favorable setup for fire weather in Southern California where a Critical Risk and Red Flag Warnings are in effect. Fire weather conditions also extend north up the California coast and into the Sacramento Valley where Red Flag Warnings are also in place. In addition, High Surf Warnings were posted for portions of southern and central California coasts through Tuesday. Farther north, Air Stagnation Advisories remain in effect for much of the interior Northwest through Tuesday as upper-level ridging and high pressure at the surface lead to poor air quality. Temperature-wise, an abnormally mild pattern has set up shop from the Plains to the West Coast. The warmest temperatures versus normal are forecast to occur Tuesday in the northern Plains where daily anomalies of 20 to 25 degrees above normal are expected. The one region that receives precipitation the first half of the week is the Pacific Northwest where a pair of fronts track across the region. East of the Mississippi River, a more winter-like temperature regime is entrenched along the East Coast. Highs will struggle to get out of the 30s in parts of the southern Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley today. By Tuesday morning, some parts of the Deep South will see temperatures dip below well freezing. Temperatures moderate to more seasonal levels up and down the East Coast on Wednesday with the lone exception being Florida where below normal temperatures are likely to continue. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php