Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 226 AM EST Sat Feb 13 2021 Valid 12Z Sat Feb 13 2021 - 12Z Mon Feb 15 2021 ...Extensive impacts from wintry weather to transpire from coast-to-coast this weekend... ...Icy weather and slick travel conditions in the Mid-Atlantic later today... ...Major winter storm to blanket the West and Plains in heavy snow and significant ice accumulations... ...Frigid Arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills to persist in the Heartland... An intrusion of bitterly cold temperatures combined with an active storm track emerging out of the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico will lead to a myriad of winter weather hazards across the continental U.S. this weekend. Starting in the East, areas of low pressure riding along a quasi-stationary boundary off the Southeast coast induce showers and thunderstorms from the Carolinas to Florida. Flash Flood Watches are in effect for parts of the Florida Panhandle and both southern Georgia and Alabama this weekend where over 2" of rainfall is expected. Farther north, sub-freezing temperatures support precipitation falling in the form of an icy wintry mix. Winter Weather Advisories extend from northern North Carolina to the Delaware Valley where ice accumulations as high as a quarter inch are possible into Saturday evening. The worst impacts are likely to be felt in central Virginia where Ice Storm Warnings and Winter Storm Warnings are in effect through Saturday night. Up to a half inch of ice is possible in these areas downed tree limbs and power outages expected. Hazardous travel conditions will be common throughout these areas of the Mid-Atlantic Saturday night and into Sunday morning. In the West, a major winter storm is unfolding as deep fetch of Pacific moisture clashes with very cold temperatures from the Pacific Northwest to the Intermountain West. Significant snow accumulations are expected in western Washington and Oregon with dangerously icy conditions also possible in the Willamette Valley into midday Saturday. Heavy mountain snow is anticipated in the higher elevations of the West on Saturday, including portions of the Great Basin and some lower lying valleys as well. By Sunday, a deepening upper trough over the Four Corners region and well below normal temperatures entrenched throughout the Plains foster an environment favorable for disruptive snow and ice accumulations in the South-Central region. The central and southern Plains can expect a snowy Sunday with blustery winds helping to cause whiteout conditions and high snow drifts. The latest forecast through Sunday night calls for as much as a foot of snow in parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. By Sunday night, an icy wintry mix is forecast to set up from southern and eastern Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley. Travel conditions Sunday night into Monday morning in these areas will be treacherous with some roads becoming impossible to travel on safely. Look for moderate-to-heavy snow to develop over the lower Great Lakes and into the northern Mid-Atlantic by Monday morning. Winter Storm Watches have been posted for parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys in response to the growing threat for heavy snowfall and dangerous ice accumulations. On top of all the disruptive wintry weather and precarious travel conditions, teeth-chattering cold continues across the Nation's Heartland this weekend and into the first half of the upcoming week. Numerous daily record low max temps are likely to be broken from the Northwest to the Plains. High temperatures are forecast to be in the single digits in the Central Plains and Midwest today, then struggle to get above zero on Sunday. Actual low temperatures in the northern Rockies and Plains are forecast to be as cold as -30 degrees. Add in gusty winds and the result is life-threatening wind chills between -30 to -60 in the North-Central U.S. Wind Chill Advisories extend as far south as the Southern Plains and look to persist into the start of the work-week. Where are the warmest locations? In the Desert Southwest and Florida with some areas of the "Sunshine State" likely to witness highs in the 80s both days this weekend. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php