Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 250 PM EST Mon Dec 07 2020 Valid 00Z Tue Dec 08 2020 - 00Z Thu Dec 10 2020 ...Critical Fire Weather conditions in Southern California, Air Stagnation Advisories in the Northwest... ...Below average temperatures for the eastern U.S., while unseasonable warmth impacts the central to northern Great Plains... The weather across most of the lower 48 will be fairly quiet through Wednesday but there are a few areas to mention. Out West, a cyclone off of the Southwest coast and strong high pressure over the Great Basin will promote strong offshore flow across southern and central California. Gusty winds and low relative humidities will translate into Critical Fire Weather for portions of southern California through Tuesday night, with an Elevated Risk extending northward into parts of central California. Farther north, poor air quality will be found for parts of the Interior Northwest as winds and mixing remain light near the surface. Temperatures will be rather warm for the western and central U.S. as well. In fact, high temperatures in the 50s and 60s are expected through Wednesday for the northern and central Great Plains into portions of the Midwest. These numbers are roughly 20 to 40 degrees above average for early December. Above average warmth will also be found into the the western U.S., but departures from average will not be as extreme as forecasts for the central U.S. In the East, temperatures from the Tennessee and Upper Ohio Valley to the East Coast will be roughly 5 to 15 degrees below average on Tuesday in the wake of a departing but strengthening low in the western Atlantic. Winds will also be gusty along the coast of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, with strong winds offshore. Chilly temperatures will linger along the East Coast but a warming trend will spread eastward to the Appalachians for Wednesday. Regarding precipitation, locally heavy rain ahead of a cold front is expected for the Olympic Peninsula and portions of the Washington Cascades tonight. Mountain snow will be limited due to the influx of relatively warm Pacific air, but some central and eastern locations will see some freezing rain potential. Across the central Appalachians and Northeast, light snow showers will taper off tonight, but a second round of light snow is expected for parts the Northeast on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian disturbance. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php