Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 359 PM EDT Tue Apr 15 2025 Valid 00Z Wed Apr 16 2025 - 00Z Fri Apr 18 2025 ...Gusty winds in Northeast/Mid-Atlantic today... ...Snow across Lower Great Lakes today then Northern Rockies on Wednesday... ...Critical Fire Weather Risk returns to Southern High Plains/Southwest beginning Wednesday... ...Above average temperatures in the West and Central U.S.; cooler in the East... Lake effect snow is expected to develop downwind of the Lower Great Lakes tonight through Wednesday as northwesterly winds persist on the backside of a strong cold front. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches will be possible for portions of Upstate New York/Adirondacks while elsewhere will likely have lower totals. Wind have already began increasing up over the Midwest, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic region and there are Wind advisories are in effect for portions of the Central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. Further west, snow showers will likely increase in coverage over the Northern Rockies beginning Wednesday, leading to some moderate impacts for parts of west-central Montana into northwestern Wyoming. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted critical fire weather conditions for the Southwest and Southern High Plains starting Wednesday as the mild, dry and gusty conditions persist. The eastern half of the country will have cooler air behind the strong cold front tonight. In contrast, warm southerly flow streaming into West and central U.S. should lead to daily High temperatures rising 15-25 degrees above average by the end of the week, however existing records are not likely to be tied, or broken. Campbell Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php