Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 308 PM EST Sun Feb 14 2021 Valid 00Z Mon Feb 15 2021 - 00Z Wed Feb 17 2021 ...Over 120 million Americans are currently under Winter Storm Warnings, Ice Storm Warnings, Winter Storm Watches, or Winter Weather Advisories as impactful winter weather continues from coast-to-coast... ...Major winter storm to spread heavy snow and significant ice accumulations from the Plains to the Northeast... ...Continued winter weather is expected for the Pacific Northwest tonight, spreading southeastward through Tuesday... ...Frigid Arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills to persist in the Heartland through a good part of the week... ...Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and warm temperatures are expected for southern Georgia and Florida... The contiguous U.S. remains active with winter weather hazards due to the persistent Arctic high over the central U.S. and an active storm track along its periphery. Snow is ongoing across much of the Central/Southern Plains into parts of the Mississippi Valley, with freezing rain beginning in southeastern Texas. Heavy snow and freezing rain are forecast to spread northeastward through Monday across the central and eastern parts of the country. A large swath of 6 to 12 inches of snow is forecast for much of the Ohio Valley into parts of the Great Lakes region and interior Northeast. South of the snow axis, freezing rain is a threat, with over a tenth of an inch of ice in the forecast for southeastern Texas northeastward to southern New England. Higher ice amounts of a quarter to a half an inch are expected in the portions of the Lower Mississippi, Tennessee, and Lower Ohio Valleys, leading to dangerous travel conditions, numerous power outages, and extensive tree damage. Precipitation will likely stay rain for the southern Mid-Atlantic and Southeast where cold air is more limited. In the West, precipitation should continue throughout the evening as Pacific moisture streams in, along with a weak low pressure system. A bit more wintry weather is possible in lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest, while locally heavy rain could cause localized flooding issues for far southwestern Oregon into far northwestern California. Another low pressure system approaching and tracking through the Great Basin and Rockies Monday and Tuesday will lead to additional precipitation for much of the West. Heavy snow of 1 to 2 feet is likely in the Cascades and Northern Rockies through Tuesday, with notable snow spreading into the Wind River Mountains/Tetons, Wasatch, and Central/Southern Rockies as well. Avalanches are a threat particularly in portions of Utah and Colorado. This system should spread another round of wintry weather to the south-central U.S. for midweek. The aforementioned Arctic high across the central U.S. is forecast to slowly weaken, but still maintain its grip across the Heartland through the first half of the week. Thus bitterly cold temperatures are expected to continue between the Rockies and Appalachians through midweek, though moderate just a bit, with some areas of the north-central U.S. finally seeing above 0F temperatures Monday or Tuesday. However, dangerous cold is still forecast, with lows in the -20s and -10s for the Northern/Central Plains and Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley. Wind Chill Warnings and Advisories extend as far south as the Southern Plains and as far east as the Ohio Valley. Temperature anomalies are likely to be 25 to 50 degrees below normal again for much of the central U.S. on Monday. Hundreds of daily low maximum and minimum temperatures have been/will be broken with this prolonged cold event, with some February and even all-time low temperature records in jeopardy. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms are ongoing across parts of the Southeast near and along a stationary front. Severe thunderstorms are in the forecast through tonight and tomorrow for southern Georgia and into the Florida peninsula, with Slight Risks of severe weather in place from the Storm Prediction Center. Heavy rain could also cause localized flooding across portions of Florida, Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas through tonight, especially where rain falls on wet ground. Florida will also be the warm spot in the CONUS, with highs above normal and generally in the 80s. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php