Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 236 AM EST Tue Mar 04 2025 Valid 12Z Tue Mar 04 2025 - 12Z Thu Mar 06 2025 ...A major winter storm ejecting out into the Central U.S. will bring widespread hazards going through midweek including damaging high winds, blizzard conditions, severe weather, and a concern for some flash flooding... ...There is critical to extreme fire weather danger across much of the Southern High Plains going through the early to middle part of the week... ...Much above normal temperatures across the Midwest will move into the Eastern U.S. by midweek, with below normal temperatures over the West gradually reaching the Plains... ...New Pacific storm system to arrive on Wednesday across California... Widespread hazardous weather is expected across the central U.S. as potent low pressure system treks through the Central Plains today, Midwest by tonight and across the Great Lakes region Wednesday. Some of the higher elevations of the Central Rockies could see snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet with this system. Additionally, a swath of 4 to 8 inches along with very strong winds will setup from the Central High Plains to the Upper Midwest resulting in a vast area with blizzard conditions. Local max snow totals may approach 1 foot. Farther south on the warmer and drier side of this storm, much of the Southern High Plains region including New Mexico, southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas, and much of western Oklahoma and western Texas will have critical to extreme fire weather conditions through midweek as the very strong winds increase the threat for the development and spreading of wildfires. For additional details refer to the the Fire Weather Outlook from the Storm Prediction Center. On the south/southeast side of this system there will be concern for severe weather as strong southerly winds bring Gulf moisture and instability northward. The environment will be favorable for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop with emphasis for the Red River Valley of the South and the Lower Mississippi Valley where the Storm Prediction Center has identified a broad Enhanced Risk for severe storms. The main threats for these storms will be very strong damaging winds, tornadoes, and at least some areas of large hail. Heavy rainfall will also be a concern for areas of the Midwest and down into the Lower Mississippi Valley/Mid-South region today and there may be at least isolated areas of flash flooding as a result. The Weather Prediction Center has depicted a Slight Risk (level 2 of 4) of excessive rainfall for portions of these areas with some of this also overlapping the aforementioned severe weather threat areas. The risk areas for severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall will shift focus to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast region as the potent system continues tracking eastward. There is Slight Risk (level 2 of 5) of severe weather depicted here which will mainly be for damaging winds and potentially a few tornadoes and a Marginal Risk for portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, northern Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Meanwhile, a new storm system will be entering California on Wednesday which is expected to usher in locally heavy rain for the coastal ranges with heavy snow in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Temperatures will be highly changeable going through the middle of the week due to the storm, with much above normal temperatures over the Midwest moving east into the Eastern U.S. by today and Wednesday as these areas will generally be on the warm side of the rapidly approaching upstream storm system. However, colder air and below normal temperatures that are already generally situated over the West will then overspread the Plains on the back side of the strong low center. Campbell Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php