Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 311 PM EST Sat Jan 06 2024 Valid 00Z Sun Jan 07 2024 - 00Z Tue Jan 09 2024 ...Major winter storm for the Northeast and pockets of rain/freezing rain in the Central Appalachians... ...Pacific storm system to bring heavy mountain snow, strong winds, and coastal rain to the West... ...There is a slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the southern Florida Peninsula... A storm over the Mid-Atlantic Coast will move northeastward to Cape Cod and then the storm will deepen rapidly while moving out over the Western Atlantic by Sunday evening. The storm will produce heavy snow over the Northeast and a few pockets of rain/freezing rain over parts of the Central Appalachians. Heavy snow will continue to overspread the Mid-Atlantic this evening and then lift into New England tonight. Snow will end from west to east by Monday morning. This will result in widespread snowfall accumulations of 6-12 inches, with locally as much as 15 inches possible in higher elevations. Additional impacts will be the combination of heavy snow rates exceeding 1 inch per hour, and gusty winds will lead to snow-covered roads and limited visibility to create dangerous travel. In some areas, especially Southern New England, the snow may be heavy and wet, which could cause isolated power outages and tree damage. Moreover, minor coastal flooding is possible in the Northeast due to gusty onshore winds that may lead to minor flooding along the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England coasts during the Sunday morning high tide cycle. Furthermore, upper-level energy over the Great Lakes will aid in producing light snow over the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley and light to moderate snow over parts of the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians. In Addition, the associated front will move across the Florida Peninsula, creating showers and severe thunderstorms. Therefore, the SPC has issued a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over the southern half of the Florida Peninsula Valley through Sunday morning. The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, a few tornadoes, and a minimal threat of hail. In the wake of the storm, scattered light snow will continue over parts of the Northeast, Central Appalachians, Lower Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley. Most of the snow will end over the Northeast by Monday evening. Meanwhile, a front over the Northern Intermountain Region into Central California will move southeastward to the Southern Plains/Lower Mississippi Valley by Monday evening. The system will produce coastal rain and higher-elevation snow over the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The rain and higher-elevation snow will move into Central/Southern California overnight Saturday. On Sunday morning, snow will extend from the Northern Intermountain Region to the Southwest and Central/Southern Rockies. Moreover, the rain and snow will end overnight Sunday over California while continuing over the parts of the Pacific Northwest ahead of the next system. On Monday morning, snow will extend from the Northern Plains to the Central and Southern High Plains. Also, rain will develop on Monday over parts of the Central/Southern Plains, with showers and thunderstorms over the Southern Plains and the Western/Central Gulf Coast. The showers and thunderstorms over the Western/Central Gulf coast will be severe. Therefore, the SPC has issued a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over the Western/Central Gulf Coast on Monday. The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes. Moreover, the rain associated with the storms will be heavy. Therefore, the WPC has issued a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over the Central Gulf Coast on Monday. The associated heavy rain will create mainly localized areas of flash flooding, with urban areas, roads, and small streams the most vulnerable. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php