Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 310 AM EST Sat Jan 02 2021 Valid 12Z Sat Jan 02 2021 - 12Z Mon Jan 04 2021 ...Impactful ice and snow to taper off over the Great Lakes but will move through northern New England today... ...Another round of wintry precipitation to impact the Ohio Valley and the Northeast on Sunday into early Monday... ...More stormy weather for the Pacific Northwest with heavy lower elevation rains and heavy mountain snows throughout the Cascades and into the northern Rockies... A very active weather pattern will continue to bring stormy conditions across portions of the U.S. into the new year. A low pressure system tracking from the Great Lakes toward the northeastern U.S. will spread snow and some freezing rain across the northern portion of these areas today. Snow and ice over the Great Lakes are expected to taper off this morning. However, as the low pressure system moves through the Northeast and begins to strengthen rapidly over the Gulf of Maine later today, heavier amounts of snow of up to twelve inches are forecast for the interior sections of northern New England. By tonight, the wintry precipitation are forecast to taper off as the system moves away into the Canadian Maritimes. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for the impacted areas across a large section of the Northeast. Meanwhile, rain will move off the Mid-Atlantic coast early this morning behind a trailing cold front. Behind this system, another area of low pressure is forecast to develop rapidly across the Southeast along the trailing front Saturday night. This system will bring additional thunderstorms across the Southeast and wintry precipitation into the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians by Sunday morning. By Sunday night, the low pressure center is forecast to move off the Mid-Atlantic coast and could intensify rather rapidly. This would bring increasingly gusty winds with rain along the southern New England coast while a period of wet snow can be expected to move across the inland sections of New England. There remains uncertainty regarding exactly where the rain/snow line will lie. Across the Pacific Northwest and into the northern Rockies, a seemingly unending series of Pacific cold fronts will continue to drive strong onshore flow and surges of moisture to result in heavy lower elevation rainfall and heavy mountain snows. In fact, portions of the Washington Cascades and the northern Rockies should see an additional one to two feet of snow going into Monday morning. Coastal hazards, such as high surf and high winds, will also be a concern for the Pacific Northwest. Overall, central and southwest portions of the nation will see relatively mild temperatures this weekend as much of the air across the nation will be of Pacific origin, together with a lack of Arctic air from Canada. The exceptions to this will be across parts of the southern U.S., where clouds and precipitation will help keep temperatures a bit below normal. Happy New Year from all of us at WPC!! Kong/Snell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php