Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 238 AM EST Sat Jan 01 2022 Valid 12Z Sat Jan 01 2022 - 12Z Mon Jan 03 2022 ...An very active start to 2022 across large sections of the nation... ...Heavy Snows possible from the Central Plains, Mid Mississippi Valley into the Lower Great Lakes... ...Heavy Rains, Flash Flooding and Severe Thunderstorms possible across the Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley... ...Much above average/record high temperatures expected from South and eastern Texas, eastward across much of the East, while arctic air surges southward through the Plains... ...Heavy Snows possible from the Southern Appalachians into the southern Mid-Atlantic... ...Heavy precipitation to return to the Pacific Northwest late Sunday into early Monday... A very active weather pattern will ring in the New Year across large sections of the nation. A developing storm system along a strong frontal boundary stretching from the Southern Plains into the Ohio Valley will produce a wide variety of weather for the first weekend of 2022. On the northern side of this storm, major travel disruptions are likely as heavy snows will be spreading northeastward from the Central Plains into the Mid Mississippi Valley and Lower Great Lakes, with accumulations of 6 to 12 inches likely from northeast Kansas to the Chicago Metro area. To the south of the heavy snow area, significant freezing rain and sleet are possible from eastern Kansas into central to northern Missouri and west central Illinois. Farther to the south of the widespread winter weather affects from this storm, heavy rains, flash flooding and severe thunderstorms are likely from portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley, northeastward into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. Potentially life-threatening flash flooding, tornadoes, high winds and large hail are possible Saturday into Saturday night across these areas. By late Sunday, a second storm system is forecast to develop along this strong front across north Georgia and push offshore of eastern North Carolina by early Monday. This developing storm does have the potential to produce accumulating heavy snows from the Southern Appalachians of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina and eastward across sections of the Southern Mid-Atlantic from northern North Carolina into southern Virginia. The strong frontal boundary that these storms are forecast to develop along will be separating much above average temperatures across the eastern U.S. this weekend with much below average temperatures surging southward across the Plains. Record High temperatures are forecast Saturday from South and eastern Texas, across much of the Gulf Coast, the Southeast and Florida and from Florida into the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday. While record cold temperatures are not expected this weekend, much colder air will be pressing southward across the Plains Saturday and eastward through the east Sunday into early Monday. Many areas from South and eastern Texas into the Gulf Coast that have the potential for record highs this weekend will be 30 to 35 degrees colder once the strong cold front pushes through these areas. A very broad area of low pressure from the surface to upper levels of the atmosphere will be developing this weekend over the northeast Pacific. This will bring a return to heavy precipitation for the Pacific Northwest by late Sunday into early Monday. Lower elevation heavy rains and heavy mountain snows are likely from the Washington/northern Oregon Cascades, westward to the Washington/Oregon coasts. This developing area of low pressure over the northeast Pacific will be the start of an overall wetter pattern for the Pacific Northwest for the first full week of the New Year. Happy New Year! Oravec Graphics are available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php