Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
300 AM EST Thu Dec 28 2023

Valid 12Z Thu Dec 28 2023 - 12Z Sat Dec 30 2023

...Scattered areas of mixed rain and snow over the central to the eastern
U.S. continue to rotate around the weakening but huge circulation of the
former winter storm...

...Heavy rain and flood threat associated with a coastal low expected to
depart northern Mid-Atlantic/southern New England later this morning...

...Unsettled weather lingers near the West Coast for the next couple of
days...

...Above normal temperatures across the northern tier will be contrasted
with below average temperatures across the southern tier...

Although all winter weather warnings and advisories related to the most
recent blizzard across the northern and central Plains have been
discontinued, the huge upper-level circulation associated with the storm
will take some time to spin down.  The remaining mixed rain/light snow
over central Plains is expected to taper off by later this afternoon. 
Meanwhile, some wrap-around moisture from the Great Lakes is forecast to
rotate southward into the Midwest to provide mixed rain and wet snow today
before tapering off this evening.  Some heavier, but brief, snowfall may
occur within this area of precipitation.  Nevertheless, only minor snow
accumulations are expected due to temperatures hovering just above
freezing.

In the East, a strengthening coastal low tracking just off the
Mid-Atlantic states is spreading an area of moderate to heavy rain across
the northern Mid-Atlantic into southern New England early this morning. 
The heavy rain may produce excessive runoff, resulting in the flooding of
rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. 
Onshore winds along with astronomical high tide are expected to produce
minor coastal flooding along vulnerable waterfront and shoreline areas in
the New York City metro into this morning.  The moderate to locally heavy
rain should move across southeastern New England this afternoon as the
coastal low tracks southeast of Long Island.  By Friday, the low will
begin to move east of New England slowly, with some bands of moderate rain
possibly rotate back toward southeast New England coast later in the
afternoon.  On-and-off rain showers can be expected to linger across much
of the remaining Northeast, possibly changing to light wet snow over Maine
on Friday.  Light wet snow is expected to linger along the Appalachians as
well.

Across Florida, a round of rain is forecast to pass southern Florida today
as a subtropical jet stream in conjunction with a wave of low pressure
will be in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, moisture well ahead of a couple of large Pacific cyclones is
forecast to produce unsettled weather along the West Coast for the next
couple of days. These systems will generate rain and high elevation snow
over the Pacific Northwest and California, while much of the reminder of
the western U.S. is forecast to remain dry.  Mixed precipitation is
forecast to reach into the Great Basin by Saturday morning.

Under this anomalous weather pattern, milder than normal temperatures will
be found across the northern tier of the country into much of the western
U.S. while cooler than normal conditions will shift slowly across the
southern tier toward the southeastern U.S. through the next couple of
days.  In fact, mild overnight temperatures will be more than 20 degrees
above normal from the northern Plains to the Northeast where record warm
minimum temperatures will likely be established especially this morning.

Kong


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