Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 219 AM EST Sat Feb 06 2021 Valid 12Z Sat Feb 06 2021 - 12Z Mon Feb 08 2021 ...Multiple rounds of heavy snow on the way for the Cascades, Northern/Central Rockies, and Central Plains through Monday... ...Prolonged period of life-threatening wind chills to impact the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest... ...Developing coastal low to produce moderate snow from the Southern Appalachians to the Northeast and I-95 corridor between tonight and Sunday evening... An extended period of light-to-moderate snow is ongoing from the Northern Rockies to Central Plains. Waves of low pressure will lead to periods of snow that could make travel difficult this weekend. The first area of low pressure is currently entering the Central Plains and will track across the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley by Sunday morning. Winter Weather Advisories are in place from Nebraska to Illinois. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for central Nebraska, where up to 6 inches of snow could fall. Meanwhile, a second wave of low pressure ushers in another round of moderate-to-heavy snow in the northern Rockies and Plains tonight. This long duration stretch of snowfall has led to the issuance of Winter Storm Warnings for parts of Montana that last into Sunday afternoon. By Sunday evening, snowfall will likely be measured in feet along the highest elevations of the Cascades, Bitterroots, and northern Rockies. Periods of light snow will likely linger into Sunday night across the northern Rockies as well. In addition to the snow, bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills will be common in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest this weekend. High temperatures will struggle to get above zero from Montana and North Dakota to Minnesota both Saturday and Sunday, with wind chills potentially as low as -50 degrees. This has resulted in the issuance of Wind Chill Warnings for northern North Dakota and Minnesota, while bone-chilling wind chills are also expected within counties under Wind Chill Advisories that span from eastern Montana to northeast Iowa. These cold temperatures are expected to still be a concern by early next week. Over the Great Lakes, brisk and persistent westerly winds and bitter temperatures support favorable conditions for lake effect snow in the typical snowbelts today. The lake effect snow machine continues to pump out bands of heavy snowfall when conditions are ripe due to ice coverage across the Great Lakes being well below average. Weekend snowfall totals are likely to include up to a foot of snow downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario, where Lake Effect Snow Warnings have been issued. Farther east, an upper level disturbance will lead to the development of low pressure near the Florida Panhandle Saturday evening and eventually a quick burst of snow from the southern Appalachians to New England. Numerous showers and even some thunderstorms are possible across the Southeast with the best chance for thunderstorms occurring across central Florida this weekend. In fact, a Marginal Risk for severe weather is in place over this region both for today and Sunday. As low pressure races northeast Saturday night, its shield of precipitation on its northern flank looks to fall in the form of snow from the southern Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic. Snow could fall heavy at times from the DC/Baltimore metro areas up the I-95 corridor to southern New England on Sunday, before quickly coming to an end Sunday night. Snowfall totals could range anywhere from a couple inches to as much as 6 inches in the higher elevations of the central Appalachians. Portions of southern New England could see the most snowfall, with as much as 8 to 12 inches. Winter Storm Watches have been issued from far northern portions of Georgia to Cape Cod. Snell/Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php