Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 249 PM EDT Tue Mar 18 2025 Valid 00Z Wed Mar 19 2025 - 00Z Fri Mar 21 2025 ...Heavy Snow and Blizzard conditions expected for portions of the Central Plains and Midwest through Wednesday evening... ...Critical Fire Weather and High Winds in Southern Plains... ...Above average temperatures in the East on Wednesday; cool and unsettled in the West... A strengthening low pressure system will spread heavy snow across the Central Plains beginning tonight and then pivot through the Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes through Thursday morning. Snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour are likely which will combine with wind gusts over 50 mph to produce blizzard conditions. The greatest risk for blizzard conditions will be from northern Kansas through southern Minnesota. The combination of heavy falling snow and strong winds will create snow-covered roads and near zero visibility at times. This will make travel dangerous to nearly impossible. This storm will produce heavy snow accumulations from northern Kansas through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Although uncertainty remains in the placement of the heaviest snow, the chance for greater than 6 inches of snow is increasingly likely over a good portion of the Central Plains through the Midwest and the western U.P. of Michigan. Dry and windy conditions on the southern periphery of the winter storm will promote potential for fire weather in the Southern Plains. The Storm Prediction Center issued a Critical Risk of Fires over portions of central, southern and far western Texas over the next couple of days. High pressure over the Southeast and troughing in the Central U.S. will continue to send a mild southerly airmass into the eastern half of the country. High temps from the upper 60s to low 80s will represent 20-35 positive anomalies on Wednesday. Cold frontal passage will drop temperatures to average/below average conditions on Thursday. A Pacific low pressure system will bring unsettled weather to the Northwest beginning on Wednesday. Kebede Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php