Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 329 PM EST Sat Jan 30 2021 Valid 00Z Sun Jan 31 2021 - 00Z Tue Feb 02 2021 ...Major winter storm to track from the Midwest this evening to the Northeast coast by Monday with significant snowfall and hazardous travel conditions expected... ...Over 95 million Americans are under a winter weather warning, watch, or advisory... ...Heavy rain and mountain snow to develop over parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California... The spotlight is squarely on a large winter storm unfolding in the Nation's Heartland this afternoon as it sets its sights on the Northeast early this week. As of the issuance of this discussion, more than 95 million Americans were under either a Winter Storm Warning, Watch, or Winter Weather Advisory. The storm is tracking east with a large shield of precipitation being ushered out ahead of it. Showers and thunderstorms are passing over parts of the central Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley this afternoon. As precipitation runs into sub-freezing temperatures in the Midwest, periods of snow will ensue with snow falling heavily at times tonight. The axis of heavy snow then pushed into the Lower Great Lakes where accumulating snowfall is also anticipated. Latest snowfall forecast calls for a swath of 8 inches or more of snow from the Chicago and Milwaukee metro areas to northern Indiana and Ohio through Sunday afternoon. Expect poor travel conditions to be common throughout these areas during the day on Sunday. As the storm heads east, showers and thunderstorms will track through the Southeast Sunday afternoon while a wedge of cold Canadian high pressure sets the stage for accumulating snowfall across the central Appalachians and northern Mid-Atlantic. An icy wintry mix in parts of the Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont and foothills could lead to ice accretion as high as a quarter inch on Sunday. Travel conditions will be treacherous in these areas Sunday afternoon. Once the parent storm system marches east into upper Ohio Valley Sunday night, a developing frontal wave over eastern North Carolina will become the focus for a new developing area of low pressure Sunday night. Snowfall over the northern Mid-Atlantic Sunday night may switch over to a wintry mix for some, but by Monday the new coastal low quickly strengthens off the DelMarVa Peninsula coast on Monday, forcing bands of heavy snow to form from the central Appalachians to the Northeast's immediate I-95 corridor. Significant snowfall and travel disruptions are anticipated in these areas with over a foot of snow likely in the hardest hit areas of the Northeast on Monday. The coastal storm will stall off the Northeast coast as the upper level low to the west and blocking ridge of high pressure to the north slow its progress. Snowfall is likely to persist over the Northeast Monday night and into the day on Tuesday. In addition to the snowfall, gusty winds may lead to near whiteout conditions and battering waves along the Northeast coast could foster areas of coastal flooding and beach erosion. Residents in these regions should continue to monitor the forecast closely for the most up-to-date information. Meanwhile in the West, a series of frontal systems will move into the Pacific Northwest/Northern California over the next few days. A fetch of Pacific moisture associated with them will usher in more precipitation throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The heaviest area of rainfall through Monday evening appears to occur in southwest Oregon and Northern California where as much 5 inches. Along the Cascade Range, snowfall ranging between 1 to 2 feet in accumulation is on tap through Monday evening. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php