Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 300 AM EST Mon Feb 17 2025 Valid 12Z Mon Feb 17 2025 - 12Z Wed Feb 19 2025 ...A surge of arctic air will bring record cold temperatures further southward into the mid-section of the country through the next few days... ...Potential of a winter storm increasing from the central Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley Tuesday into Wednesday morning... ...Mountain snow and lower-elevation rain across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies will have a lull on Tuesday before another Pacific system brings the next round of unsettled weather into the Pacific Northwest Tuesday night... ...Snow gradually tapers off in New England today behind a big storm but lake-effect snow and blustery conditions continue... A large and intense low pressure system is beginning to move away from New England after dumping moderate to locally heavy snow along with a swath of freezing rain across New England. Even though the wintry precipitation will largely taper off today, the huge circulation of the deep cyclone will continue to funnel strong and gusty winds across the entire Northeast and the Great Lakes through the next couple of days. Lake-effect snow will once again make its presence known along the Snow Belt downwind from the Great Lakes. In addition, blizzard warnings remain in effect into this afternoon along the western slopes of the central Appalachians due to snow falling under very gusty upslope flow forced by the slowly departing storm. The enhanced snowfall is expected to taper off later today as an arctic high pressure system begins to usher colder and drier air into the region. Meanwhile, the aforementioned high pressure system will continue to push a large pool of arctic air from Canada down into the mid-section of the country through the next few days. Temperatures of 40 degrees below normal near the Canadian border this morning will plunge into the central High Plains by Tuesday. This means that actual temperatures will remain colder than -30 degrees for the next couple of mornings near the Canadian border while high temperatures may not top the zero-degree mark as far south as northern Kansas by Tuesday afternoon. Wind chill temperatures will reach dangerously cold levels between -30 and -60 degree over the northern Plains. Farther west, a Pacific system will continue to bring mountain snow and lower-elevation rain from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies today but a lull is expected on Tuesday before another Pacific system brings the next round of unsettled weather into the Pacific Northwest by Tuesday night. Meanwhile, upslope snowfall north of the arctic front across the northern Rockies will be carried downstream into the north-central Plains today. As the arctic high pressure system from Canada pushes further southward, a low pressure wave is forecast to develop along the arctic front. In response, snow will become heavier and more widespread across the central Plains along with gusty winds on Tuesday. A swath of freezing rain/sleet can also be expected to develop farther south across Oklahoma to Arkansas later on Tuesday into Tuesday night. Rain showers will also expand in coverage across eastern Texas with the possibility of strong thunderstorms developing closer to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, moderate to heavy snow will spread farther east, likely reaching into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys whereas the wintry mix could move into the interior Deep South early on Wednesday. Kong Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php