Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 225 PM EST Thu Feb 08 2024 Valid 00Z Fri Feb 09 2024 - 00Z Sun Feb 11 2024 ...Unsettled weather continues for the West with locally heavy snowfall possible for many of the local mountain ranges... ...Wintry precipitation through tonight for the Northern Plains... ...Above average temperatures for the eastern half of the nation through Saturday, potentially record-breaking for some locations... Upper level troughing will remain in place over the West for the next couple of days, with several shortwaves rotating through and providing support for precipitation across the region. Most of the higher elevations of the regional mountain ranges will see some moderate to locally heavy snowfall. The highest snow amounts are forecast to fall over the Four Corners region today where probabilities are high (>70%) for greater than 12 inches of snow for parts of the Mogollon Rim and San Juan mountains. Probabilities are also high (70%) for greater than 8 inches of snow in the higher terrain of the Wasatch. Moderate impacts are expected in these areas through Friday morning, and additional rounds of snow are forecast through Saturday. In the lower elevations/valleys, precipitation will fall mainly as a wintry mix or rain, and limited snowfall accumulations will be possible in some areas. Temperatures in the West will be below average through the weekend due to forecast precipitation and cloud cover, then temperatures will return to near normal next week. To the east, a low pressure system is slowly moving across the Upper Midwest and will continue across the Great Lakes on Friday. This system will continue to produce wintry precipitation across the northern Plains through tonight, then snow will taper off from west to east early Friday morning. Ahead of this system, showers and thunderstorms will spread into the Great Lakes region and isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible from eastern Iowa through southwestern parts of Lake Michigan. To the south of the trailing cold front associated with this system, stagnant southerly flow is funneling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the southern United States. With ample moisture in place, showers and thunderstorms will spread from the southern Plains to the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys on Friday as the cold front approaches and precipitation will expand into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Saturday. Temperatures will be well above average for the eastern half of the nation through Saturday, with the highest anomalies reaching 25-35 degrees above normal in the Midwest. Highs are forecast to reach the 40s and 50s in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, and the 60s to near 70 in the Middle Mississippi Valley. The highest anomalies will shift to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Saturday, and highs will range from the 40s in Maine to the 60s and near 70 in the Virginia and North Carolina. High temperatures will rival daily records in the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Further South, highs will generally be in the 60s and 70s from the Southern Plains into the Southeast. Dolan/Putnam Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php