Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
300 AM EST Thu Nov 23 2023

Valid 12Z Thu Nov 23 2023 - 12Z Sat Nov 25 2023

...A snow event is forecast to impact the northern and central Rockies as
well as the nearby High Plains during Thanksgiving holiday weekend...

...Arctic air will overspread much of the northern portion of the country;
mainly dry for the remainder of the country through the holiday weekend...

On this Thanksgiving Day, a snow event is brewing over the northern
Rockies as moisture from a Pacific frontal system begins to interact
with an intrusion of arctic air from across central and western Canada. 
This interaction will lead to an expanding area of snow commencing today
over southern Idaho into northern Nevada, and especially over Wyoming by
tonight following the passage of an arctic front.  Further interactions of
the two systems will push the snow farther southeast into much of Colorado
and Utah on Friday.  The snow will also spread farther into the nearby
High Plains from north to south as the center of a cold dome of high
pressure settles southeastward into the northern Plains on Friday. 
Rapidly falling temperatures along with increasingly strong and gusty
northerly winds will accompany the snow, with gale-force winds possibly
impacting southwestern Wyoming tonight.  It appears that generally more
than 6 inches of snow can be expected area-wide from the north-central
portion of the High Plains to locally terrain-enhanced amounts of over a
foot in portions of Wyoming and Colorado through the next couple of days. 
The snow should have mostly tapered off over Wyoming by Saturday morning
but will likely linger across portions of Colorado as an upper-level
disturbance swings across the region.  Wet snow is forecast to dip as far
south as northern New Mexico early on Saturday when the eastern edge of
the snow begins to head toward the central Plains.

Meanwhile, the East Coast has generally cleared out behind an exiting low
pressure system into the Canadian Maritimes just in time for Thanksgiving
festivities.  Only near the eastern border of Maine is still receiving
snow from the system early this morning.  Nevertheless, much of the
Northeast will likely contend with gusty winds as the exiting storm
continues to deepen.  Some snow showers are forecast to resume over
interior New England by this evening and on Friday as an arctic front
approaches from the west.

Much of the remainder of the country will remain dry as we head further
into the holiday weekend.  The exception will be near the Gulf Coast where
an upper-level disturbance will send some light showers from west to east
across the region.  Showers will also linger over southern Florida near a
stationary front.  Temperatures across the country will likely average
below normal for a change with arctic air intrusion from the north.  The
coldest anomalies will likely be over the central High Plains in the
mornings of Friday and Saturday as temperatures dip into the teens and
20s.  The South will remain cooler than normal through the holiday weekend
behind the first front while the Northeast will get colder on Saturday
behind the second front.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!


Kong


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