Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 158 PM EST Wed Feb 23 2022 Valid 00Z Thu Feb 24 2022 - 00Z Sat Feb 26 2022 ...Significant winter storm impacts the Southern Plains/Ohio Valley/Northeast/Mid-Atlantic into Friday... ...Risk of Excessive rainfall from the Tennessee Valley into the Upper Ohio Valley into Friday morning... ...Record cold for parts of the Plains & West while record warmth holds on for sections of the Southeast... Through the remainder of the work week, the upper level pattern over the contiguous United States features a persistent cold upper level trough -- with the jet stream dipping south into northern Mexico -- which will continue record-breaking cold both overnight and in the afternoon across portions of the Plains and West. A persistent Southeast Ridge threatens record highs -- with temperatures rising well into the 80s -- across the Southeast and Florida. In and near the transition zone between those two areas across the Southern & Central Plains, Mid-South, Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast will be where active weather is expected. A storm over the Southwest will move eastward to the Southern Rockies by Thursday morning. On Thursday, the storm will redevelop over the Tennessee Valley and move northeastward to the Central Appalachians/ Mid-Atlantic by Friday. The storm will produce heavy snow over the Southwest and Central Rockies on Wednesday, with light rain over parts of Southern California and rain at lower elevations of the Southwest. A variety of winter hazards await the Southern Plains through the Ohio Valley Wednesday through Thursday night and the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Thursday night through Friday. Damaging ice accumulations across the Ozarks up to 0.50 inch leading to power outages and tree damage are expected. This ice is within a swath of notable accumulations of freezing rain expected from North Texas through the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Overnight Thursday, snow will develop over parts of the Middle Mississippi Valley into the Great Lakes. As the system moves to the Central Appalachians/Mid-Atlantic on Friday morning, heavy snow will develop over parts of the Northeast into Southern New England. Widespread amounts of 6-12 inches are forecast. A freezing rain area is likely from the Eastern Ohio Valley through the Central Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic States. Significant ice accumulations are possible across south-central Pennsylvania and western Maryland. Widespread hazardous travel and damage to the power infrastructure are anticipated. An incoming cold front sent along its way by waves of low pressure will force strong moisture/instability influx from the Gulf of Mexico in its advance, producing heavy rain over Tennessee/Upper Ohio Valleys. A Slight Risk of excessive rainfall exists for this area through Friday morning which is where heavy rains are most likely to overlap with saturating soils. The heavy rain will create localized to widely scattered instances of flash flooding, with urban areas and locations with saturated soils the most vulnerable. A disturbance aloft moving southward from Western Canada will move over the Pacific Northwest early Thursday morning and the Central Rockies by Friday. For Thursday, the energy will produce light snow over parts of the Pacific Northwest down to the coast and inland to the Northern and Central Rockies. Roth Graphics are available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php