Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 400 AM EDT Sun Oct 19 2025 Valid 12Z Sun Oct 19 2025 - 12Z Tue Oct 21 2025 ...Strong thunderstorms and locally heavy rain expected to move across much of the eastern U.S. through tonight, then across the Northeast on Monday... ...Turning colder and unsettled across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies with coastal and valley rain along with mountain snow and gusty winds... ...A round of rain/thunderstorms then windy and colder weather across the northern Plains will be contrasted with temperatures in the 90s across the southern Plains on Monday... An increasingly active weather pattern is in progress across the U.S. mainland through the next couple of days with the emergence of La Nina. This active weather pattern will begin with a rapidly intensifying low pressure system forecast to track swiftly across the Midwest and the Great Lakes today. The vigorous dynamics associated with a potent cold front trailing south from the cyclone center is forecast to bring a slight risk of severe weather across much of the mid to lower Mississippi Valley through early this morning. The cold front will continue to push eastward through the eastern U.S. for the rest of today before moving off the East Coast tonight. The relatively fast forward motion of the cold front will help limit the total rainfall amounts. However, a squall line just ahead of the cold front could bring a brief period of strong thunderstorms with heavy downpours along with very gusty winds. By Monday, the most active weather will likely be found across the Northeast, particularly New England, where strong thunderstorms and locally heavy rain could be sweeping across as a new low pressure system begins to develop. This system will slow down and provide rain across northern New England as well as windy conditions across much of the Northeast. Behind the rapidly intensifying cyclone in the East, strong and gusty northwesterly winds will make for a breezy day today across the mid-section of the country as a colder air mass from Canada filters into the region. However, a rapid warm-up is forecast for the High Plains today, spreading into the southern Plains by Monday. This warm-up will be in advance of another rapidly developing low pressure system that will sweep across the Pacific Northwest today followed by the northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Monday. This system will keep unsettled weather across the Pacific Northwest with coastal and valley rains along with snow in the higher elevations through tonight. Meanwhile, mountain snow is expected to push farther inland across Idaho and then the northern Rockies tonight into Monday along with gusty winds. The low pressure system will continue to develop while moving quickly across the northern Plains on Monday, bringing a period of rain followed by colder and windy conditions especially across the northern High Plains Monday into Tuesday morning. To the south of this system, brisk winds descending the southern Rockies will make for a very warm afternoon across the southern Plains where highs are forecast to reach well into the 90s, which will be high enough to challenge some daily records. Meanwhile, the Southwest and the Four Corners will remain dry with a gradual warming trend through early next week. Across the Sunshine state, showers and thunderstorms are expected to move across from northwest to southeast through the next couple of days as the cold front associated with the former intensifying low pressure system sweeps across the state. Kong Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php