Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
300 PM EST Tue Feb 08 2022

Valid 00Z Wed Feb 09 2022 - 00Z Fri Feb 11 2022

...Early taste of spring spreading east across much of the continental
U.S.; record warmth possible in California; Critical Risk of fire in the
central Plains...

...Snow departing Maine as damp and cloudy weather in Florida will be
followed by slow clear on Wednesday...

...Periods of mixed rain and snow expected from the northern Plains to the
Great Lakes the next couple of days...

As the main jet stream is forecast to retreat slightly further north
during the next couple of days, much of the continental U.S. will
experience a gradual warm up, leading to a gradual expansion of above
normal temperatures from west to east.  Mild and dry conditions across the
northern/central Plains today will be replaced by slightly cooler air
tomorrow behind a cold front, but milder than normal conditions for early
February persists.  Fire danger is forecast to be at critical levels over
good portion of the central Plains through tonight due to gusty downslope
winds and dry conditions.  By Wednesday, the focus of warm weather will
shift to the immediate coastal areas of California where high temperatures
are forecast to climb into the mid to upper 80s in parts of southern
California.  In advance of this anomalous February heat, an Excessive Heat
Watch that includes the Los Angeles metro area has been issued from late
Wednesday into Friday. The West Coast is not the only region expected to
see temperatures resembling more like spring rather than winter.  Even
much of the eastern U.S. will witness high temperatures reaching into the
50s and 60s over the Mid-Atlantic, which are levels normally seen in March.

Precipitation-wise, snow associated with a quick-hitting coastal storm
that has already resulted in more than a foot of snow inland is expected
to taper off by Wednesday morning as the storm moves further into the
Canadian Maritimes.  Farther south, the Sunshine State will see more
widespread showers and plenty of clouds through tonight.  Drier conditions
and sunshine are forecast to progress from north to south across the state
on Wednesday. Elsewhere, a wave of low pressure is set to track through
southern Canada today and end up in the upper Great Lakes by Wednesday. 
Periods of snow are likely in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin tonight. 
By Wednesday, rain and snow showers will envelope much of the Great Lakes
with the heaviest snowfall accumulations confined to areas along the
northern coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula where there will be a little
more lake enhancement.  Some rain and snow showers may make their way into
the northern Mid-Atlantic and interior Northeast Wednesday night.  Lastly,
an upper level disturbance diving south through the northern High Plains
on Wednesday will produce periods of snow in the Black Hills and central
Rockies.

Kong/Mullinax


Graphics are available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php