Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 307 PM EDT Wed Mar 19 2025 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 20 2025 - 00Z Sat Mar 22 2025 ...Major late winter/early spring snowstorm to push into the Upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes... ...Severe weather possible this evening across much of Illinois and Indiana... ...Windy conditions across the Southern Plains will continue to support a fire weather threat... ...The first day of Spring will see much above average temperatures along the East coast and across the Northern Plains, while below average temperatures are expected across the West, South, Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys... ...Heavy precip on tap for the Pacific Northwest and New England... While spring will begin early Thursday morning, impactful winter weather will continue associated with the strong low moving from the Upper Mississippi Valley into the Great Lakes this evening/tonight and into southeast Canada by early Thursday. This storm has been responsible for heavy snows and blizzard conditions across portions of the Plains over the past 24 hours and will continue to produce heavy snows this evening/tonight from eastern Wisconsin, across the far northwestern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Snowfall totals across these areas expected to be in the 4 to 8"+ range. Blizzard conditions will be diminishing late this afternoon into this evening from west to east across portions of the Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley as the storm moves northeast and begins to weaken. Travel will remain hazardous with this system along with the risk of power outages. To the southeast of the strong low moving toward the Great Lakes, thunderstorms are likely this evening along the associated cold front that will be pushing from Illinois into Indiana and Ohio. These storms will have the potential to produce severe weather, with tornadoes, high winds and large hail all a possibility across much of Illinois, Indiana into far western Ohio. Overall, precipitation is not expected to be heavy along and ahead of the cold front as it pushes eastward from the Mid-West/OH Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic. However, a new low forming along this cold front across southern New England early Friday morning will produce increasing chances of heavier rains/higher elevation snows, from eastern New York State into southern and central New England during Friday. In the wake of the strong storm moving into the Great Lakes, windy conditions expected across the Southern Plains into the Lower to Mid Mississippi Valley. This will support the continuation of a fire weather threat from the combination of dry conditions, low relative humidities and high winds. Red flag warnings are currently in effect across much of these regions. In contrast, a series of frontal boundaries moving from the northeast Pacific into the Pacific Northwest will support two days of heavy precipitation, lower elevation rains and heavy mountain snows, from the Washington/Oregon Cascades, west to the Washington/Oregon coasts and across the far northern Rockies of Idaho. Temperatures wise, the first day of spring will see much above average temperatures along the east coast ahead of the eastward moving cold front, and much above average temperatures over the Northern Plains. Below average temperatures expected for the first day of Spring across much of the West, South, Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. Oravec Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php