Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 225 PM EST Tue Jan 19 2021 Valid 00Z Wed Jan 20 2021 - 00Z Fri Jan 22 2021 ...Damaging winds and critical fire weather to come to an end across California on Wednesday... ...Multiple rounds of snow showers across the Great Lakes and Northeast with locally heavy snowfall totals downwind of the Great Lakes... The weather pattern responsible for damaging winds and critical fire weather across California is expected to gradually weaken by Wednesday evening. A developing low pressure system off the Southern California coast and strengthening high pressure from the Northern Rockies into the Great Basin is fueling strong winds across much of the state of California tonight and into Wednesday. High Wind warnings and advisories continue across much of California, where wind gusts may reach 70-80 mph at higher elevations and 50 to 70 mph in valleys and along the coast. These high winds have the potential to produce widespread downed trees and tree limbs, significant property damage, and numerous power outages. In addition, the combination of high winds and low relative humidities will continue to support a significant fire weather risk, especially along coastal sections from San Francisco to San Diego. The only potentially beneficial part of this weather pattern is the increased chances of rainfall for portions of southern California into southern Arizona through Thursday morning as the aforementioned area of low pressure pushes slowly eastward off the northern Baja. Rain could be heavy at times across far southeastern California and southwest Arizona, where Flash Flood Watches have been issued. Meanwhile, an active lake effect snow pattern is expected across much of the Great Lakes through Thursday. Two separate systems are forecast to cross the region over the next few days, the first will exit overnight, while the second enters on Thursday. This will support locally heavy snowfall accumulations mainly downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where Lake Effect Snow Warnings are currently in effect. Locally heavy snow is also possible downwind of Lake Superior across portions of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and downwind of Lake Michigan as well. There will also be the potential for upslope snow showers across the central Appalachians, with 2 to 4 inches of snowfall possible. Snell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php