Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 259 AM EST Thu Feb 08 2024 Valid 12Z Thu Feb 08 2024 - 12Z Sat Feb 10 2024 ...Unsettled weather continues for the West with moderate to locally heavy snowfall for many of the local mountain ranges... ...Wintry precipitation for the Northern Plains as shower/thunderstorm chances increase for the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Thursday, spreading into the South Friday... ...Much above average temperatures to end the work week for most of the central/eastern U.S., record warmth for some locations in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic... An energetic, deep upper-level trough will remain over the West the next couple of days, with a series of shortwaves and frontal systems keeping precipitation chances up across the region. Most of the higher elevations of the regional mountain ranges in the Rockies, Southwest, Great Basin, and Northwest will see some moderate to locally heavy snowfall. The heaviest snowfall will continue over the central Great Basin/Four Corners region Thursday, with additional totals generally between 6-12" expected, and some locally higher amounts possible. Lower elevations/valleys will see a mix of light to moderate rain and snow showers, though any snow accumulations should remain limited. Light to moderate showers are also in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest, along portions of coastal California, and into the Desert Southwest. Fortunately, rainfall amounts have come down, and despite the very wet antecedent conditions in California and the Desert Southwest, chances for any additional flooding look to be very low. Highs will remain below average under the influence of the trough and ongoing precipitation, with highs in the 30s and 40s for the Intermountain West, 40s and 50s for the Pacific Northwest/Northern California, and 50s and 60s for Southern California and the Desert Southwest. To the east, a low pressure/frontal system will track northeastward across the Northern Plains and through the Upper Midwest Thursday-Friday. Wintry precipitation continues across portions of the Northern Plains as moist southeasterly flow overrides colder air pushing southward east of the Rockies. A light glaze of ice as well as an additional 1-3" or so of snow can be expected across eastern Montana and northern North Dakota, tapering off from west to east through Thursday. Showers and some thunderstorms are expected ahead of the system over the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Thursday, with chances decreasing into Friday as the system moves into Canada. A stagnant flow pattern setting up south of the cold front and northwest of ridging over the southeastern Atlantic will begin to funnel Gulf moisture northward over portions of the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, and into the Tennessee/Ohio Valleys, with increasing shower and thunderstorm chances Friday into early Saturday morning. High temperatures will remain well above average broadly across central/eastern portions of the country, with the greatest anomalies centered over the Midwest. Forecast highs in the 40s and 50s for the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes and 60s for the Middle Mississippi Valley are upwards of 25-35 degrees above average. Higher anomalies will also shift into the Northeast with 30s and 40s for New England and 40s, 50s, and even some 60s for the Mid-Atlantic. Some record-tying/breaking high temperatures will be possible from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic. Further South, highs will generally be in the 60s and 70s from the Southern Plains into the Southeast. Putnam Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php