Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
327 PM EDT Mon Apr 17 2023

Valid 00Z Tue Apr 18 2023 - 00Z Thu Apr 20 2023

...Late season heavy snow event to  diminish Monday night across the Upper
Lakes region...

...Heavy snows possible across the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies
Monday night and Tuesday and into portions of the Northern High Plains on
Wednesday...

...Below average temperatures expected across most areas to the west of
the Rockies, along the northern tier from the Northern Plains, Upper Lakes
to northern New England, while above average temperatures stretch from the
Plains to much of the East Coast...

...Elevated to Critical Fire weather threat for the Southern High Plains...

The late season snowstorm that has brought heavy snowfall totals of
between 6 and 18 inches to portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan will continue to diminish Monday night as the storm
lifts slowly northeastward into southeastern Canada.  While snowfall rates
and totals will be decreasing Monday night, widespread snow showers will
develop downwind of the Great Lakes as cold northwesterly to westerly
winds flow across the Great Lakes,  This will support light to moderate
snowfall totals of 2 to 4 inches across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,
the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and across northeast Ohio,
northwest Pennsylvania and far western New York State.

Accumulating springs snows are also possible over the next two days as a
cold front pushes inland from the Pacific Northwest into the Northern
Rockies Monday night into Tuesday.  Snowfall totals in excess of a foot
likely over the next two days through much of the Washington and Oregon
Cascades and Olympic Range, while totals over 6 inches are possible
through the Northern Sierra and Northern Rockies.   This system will then
push eastward into the Northern High Plains on Wednesday where it will
help to deepen a storm system across western South Dakota and western
North Dakota.  While precipitation with this low may begin as rain across
much of the Northern Plains, it should change to snow on the western side
of the storm with heavy snows possible across far northeast Montana into
northwestern North Dakota.  It addition to the heavy snows, increasing
winds may produce near blizzard or blizzard conditions Wednesday afternoon
into Wednesday evening across far northeast Montana into northwest North
Dakota, resulting in very hazardous travel conditions.

In the wake of the above mentioned cold front moving inland from the
Pacific Northwest, temperatures are expected to remain below average over
the next two days across most areas to the west of the Rockies.  Below
average temperatures also likely across the Northern Tier from the
Northern Plains, across the Upper Lakes, northern New York State and into
northern New England.  In contrast, above average temperatures are
expected across the Central to Southern Plains, east through the Middle to
Lower Mississippi Valley and into much of the East Coast.   In addition to
the warm conditions across the Southern Plains, dry weather and gusty
winds will keep the fire weather threat elevated to critical over the next
few days across the Southern High Plains from New Mexico, West Texas, the
Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle, western Kansas and southeastern Colorado.

Oravec

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