Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 145 PM EST Wed Jan 01 2025 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 02 2025 - 00Z Sat Jan 04 2025 ...Coastal storm brings rain and snow showers to New England through New Year's Day... ...Long duration lake-effect snow event continues downwind of the Great Lakes... ...Periods of locally heavy coastal rains and higher elevation snow continue for much of the northwestern U.S.... ...Coverage of frigid Winter temperatures begins to expand from the Northern Plains into the Midwest... A coastal storm off of New England will continue to bring some light to moderate rain showers to the coast and accumulating snowfall to higher elevations of the interior through the remainder of New Year's Day. Winter weather-related Advisories and Warnings are in place as snowfall totals of 5-10 inches are expected, with locally higher amounts over a foot possible. Very blustery winds will also continue across much of the Northeast as a whole, and may lead to some blowing snow where snowfall is occurring. A favorable pattern for heavy lake-effect snow will also remain in place in the Great Lakes over the next few days, particularly downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Storm total snowfall of 2-4 feet will be possible for areas that see the most persistent lake-effect bands. Some more moderate accumulations will also be possible in Michigan downwind of Lakes Superior and Michigan. A quick moving system will lead to some light wintry precipitation for portions of the Midwest Thursday before bringing some more significant accumulating snowfall to the central Appalachians Friday as well. Moderate to heavy coastal rainfall, an interior wintry mix, and higher elevation snow will continue across portions of the Pacific Northwest/northern California and the northern Great Basin/Rockies through this evening as a Pacific system passes through the region. An accompanying upper-level shortwave will also drop southeastward through the central Rockies bringing additional snow chances through the day Thursday. Heavy accumulations of around 8-14 inches, locally higher, will be possible for many of the areal mountain ranges. Rainfall on the coast will be locally heavy as well, with the potential for some isolated flooding for favorable upslope areas along the coastal ranges of southwestern Oregon and northern California. Precipitation will taper off through the evening and into the morning Thursday from west to east as the system/upper-wave pass through before another system approaches the Pacific Northwest into Thursday night. Additional locally heavy rainfall and the potential for isolated flooding will remain possible for southern Oregon/northern California through Friday. A renewed round of snow will also come to the higher mountain elevations, particularly in the northern Cascades. Frigid Winter temperatures will increasingly become a bigger story heading into January as a stagnant pattern featuring a strong upper-level low over southeastern Canada/the northeastern U.S. settles in. These very cold, below average for January temperatures have already come to the northern Plains, where highs in the single digits and teens will be common and wind chills will be below zero. Highs only in the teens and 20s expand into the Midwest by Friday. Elsewhere, temperatures will be around or a bit below average along the East Coast, with mainly 30s and 40s in the Northeast, 40s and 50s in the Carolinas, 50s in the Southeast, and 60s into Florida. Much of the western and south-central U.S. will see much more mild, above average temperatures to end the week, with highs in the 40s and 50s in the Pacific Northwest and Interior West; the 50s and 60s in the southern Plains and Rockies as well as California; and the 60s and 70s in the Southwest. Putnam Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php