Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 152 PM EST Mon Mar 08 2021 Valid 00Z Tue Mar 09 2021 - 00Z Thu Mar 11 2021 ...Record high temperatures possible Tuesday across portions of the Northern and Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley... ...Much above average temperatures likely Tuesday and Wednesday across much of the central and eastern U.S., while below average temperatures expected from the west coast into the Great Basin... ...Much needed precipitation on tap along the west coast from Oregon into California... ...Heavy snows likely Tuesday night into early Wednesday across portions of the Central Rockies into portions of the Northern High Plains... Spring like temperatures expected across much of the central to eastern U.S. over the next two days. Temperatures across these regions are forecast to be much above average with highs in the 60s and 70s across many areas. The greatest departures from average expected over portions of the Central to Northern Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley where high temperatures are expected to be 30 to 40 degrees above average. Across these areas there is the potential for record high minimum temperatures Tuesday morning and record high maximum temperatures Tuesday afternoon. In contrast, temperatures are expected to be below average over the next few days along the west coast, inland into the Great Basin. However, these temperatures will not be as anomalous as the warmth across the middle section of the nation. More importantly for the west coast, much needed precipitation is expected from coastal Oregon, southward through much of California, with snow totals of 1 to 2 feet through the Sierra into the northwest California coastal mountains and lower elevation rains. Much of this region is in moderate to extreme drought with precipiation much below average over the past several months. A storm system pushing through the Central Rockies into the Northern High Plains Tuesday night into Wednesday morning is expected to produce heavy snows from the mountains of Utah and Wyoming, eastward into the high plains of Wyoming, far southwest South Dakota and northwest Nebraska. This snow will be falling across areas that are forecast to have much above average temperatures both Monday and Tuesday. Oravec Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php