Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
306 PM EST Fri Feb 03 2023

Valid 00Z Sat Feb 04 2023 - 00Z Mon Feb 06 2023

...A brief intense surge of arctic air expected across the Northeast
through Saturday followed by rapid moderation in temperatures on Sunday...

...Unsettled weather moving into the West Coast with heavy snow reaching
the Sierra Nevada Saturday night...

An intense surge of arctic air from eastern Canada is currently in
progress across the northeastern part of the country.  In addition, strong
pressure gradient between a rapidly intensifying cyclone in eastern Canada
and a cold high pressure system centered near the Great Lakes will result
in very blustery north to northwest winds, dropping wind chill
temperatures to dangerously low levels.  Northern Maine is forecast to
experience wind chill as low as -60 degrees with ground blizzard
conditions into tonight.  Bitterly cold and biting winds will extend
southward into the Mid-Atlantic into tonight.  This cold snap will be
relatively short-lived however, as much milder air from the Great Plains
is forecast to make its way east toward New England and down into the
eastern U.S. during the weekend behind a pair of warm fronts.  Some
lake-effect snow is expected downwind from the Great Lakes into Saturday
before the arrival of the mild air effectively shuts off the snow by
Saturday night.  However, an Alberta clipper is forecast to reach the
upper Great Lakes late Saturday into Sunday morning before heading toward
northern New England later on Sunday.  This clipper will set off another
round of snow across the upper Great Lakes Saturday night followed by
mixed rain and snow across the lower Great Lakes and light snow across
northern New England on Sunday.

In the meantime, moisture associated with a Pacific cyclone and its cold
front has already moved into the Pacific Northwest and portions of
California.  Additional energy arriving behind the system will expand the
unsettled weather along the West Coast and then farther inland.  Sierra
Nevada will begin to see heavy snow by Saturday night while periods of
moderate rain are forecast for the lower elevations of northern and
central California and the Pacific Northwest through the weekend.  The
snow will result in reduced visibility and hazardous driving conditions
for the higher elevations.  The mountain snows will begin spreading
farther inland into the Intermountain West, the northern Rockies, and the
Great Basin on Sunday.

Kong

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