Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 350 AM EDT Sat Oct 19 2024 Valid 12Z Sat Oct 19 2024 - 12Z Mon Oct 21 2024 ...Heavy mountain snow continues for portions of the Central Rockies through Sunday morning... ...Heavy rain expected for the Central/Southern High Plains and portions of the Pacific Northwest this weekend... ...Warm temperatures expand across the northern tier states.... An anomalous upper-level cut-off low will continue to produce moderate to heavy rainfall, scattered thunderstorms and high elevation snow across portions of the Central Rockies and Southern High Plains this weekend. Heavy snow will remain confined to portions of the Wasatch, Kaibab Plateau, San Juans and Sangre de Cristos over the next two days. The Sangre de Cristo mountains can expect anywhere between 1-2 feet of snow and up to 3 feet over the San Juans by Monday morning. Rain showers and thunderstorms will focus along a slow moving cold front in the Southern High Plains this weekend. A few inches of rain may cause instances of flash flooding over portions of southeastern Colorado down through eastern New Mexico where a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall is in effect for today. Moisture diminishes notably by Sunday, but the threat of an isolated instance of flash flooding can't be ruled out over parts of the aforementioned areas as well as the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle. A deep and positively tilted upper trough will generate a weak yet prolonged atmospheric river event across the Pacific Northwest over the next couple of days. Most of the precipitation that occurs, save for the highest elevations of the Cascades, will fall in the form of rain. Anywhere between 1-3 inches of rain is expected for the Northwest, with isolated higher amounts in far northwestern Washington State, this weekend. A northern stream ridge shifting into south-central Canada will phase with the southern stream ridge and generate unseasonably warm conditions over the northern tier states this weekend. The greatest anomalies of 20-30+ degrees will occur over parts of the Upper Midwest, where high temperatures will be in the upper 70s to low 80s on Sunday and Monday. High pressure in the East will promote pleasant Fall weather ahead of what will be another warming trend next week. Freeze Warnings are in effect for portions of southeastern Arizona, Wyoming and the Snake River Valley tonight and Sunday night. A High Wind Warning is in effect for parts of the Southern Rocky Mountain front and adjacent foothills and plains today. Kebede Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php