Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
309 PM EST Thu Nov 27 2025

Valid 00Z Fri Nov 28 2025 - 00Z Sun Nov 30 2025

...Heavy lake-effect snow will continue across the Great Lakes region into
early Saturday morning before then tapering off...

...A very wintry pattern will unfold across large sections of the central
and eastern U.S. into the weekend as cold high pressure from Canada drops
south through the Plains and Midwest from Canada...

...The next major winter storm will affect the northern Plains and the
Midwest Friday into Saturday bringing with it heavy snow and hazardous
travel conditions...

A very winter like pattern has rapidly unfolded this Thanksgiving Day
across much of the country as multiple surges of cold high pressure drop
down from Canada and overspread large areas of the Plains, Midwest and the
East. A slowly departing winter storm over the Great Lakes region coupled
with cold air overrunning the relatively warmer waters of the Great Lakes
continues to focus heavy lake-effect snowfall, and this is expected to
continue through Friday before gradually tapering off by early Saturday.
Additional accumulations of up to 1 to 2 feet can be expected, with some
of the heaviest totals over the next 24 to 36 hours focusing across
northern portions of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and also areas of
far northeast Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and western New York. Travel
will be locally very difficult due to heavy snowfall rates, gusty winds
and poor visibility. More broadly, below normal temperatures will be
expected going into the holiday weekend for much of the central and
eastern U.S., with some high temperatures as much as 10 to 20 degrees
below normal.

Out West, a compact and well organized low pressure system will be
impacting portions of Washington and Oregon through tonight, but will
advance gradually inland across the Intermountain West and northern
Rockies on Friday. The moist onshore flow will facilitate as much as 1 to
2 inches of rain for some of the coastal ranges, but this moisture will
translate into some locally heavy snow for the higher terrain of the
Cascades and especially the northern Rockies as the moisture and energy
with this system advances inland. As much as 6 to 12 inches of snow is
expected through Friday night for the high terrain of Idaho and western
Montana including the Bitterroots.

This storm system and its moisture will then eject east out into the
northern Plains and then into the Midwest late Friday through Saturday and
will set the stage for the next major winter storm to impact these areas.
Low pressure developing in the lee of the Rockies will advance toward the
middle Mississippi Valley by late Saturday and should foster a widespread
area of heavy snow from Montana through portions of the Dakotas and
especially the Midwest. As much as 6 to 12 inches of snow is forecast with
this next winter storm, with many areas in Iowa and western Illinois by
Saturday evening expecting the heaviest amounts. Severe post-Thanksgiving
travel disruptions are expected with this next winter storm going into the
weekend, and therefore travelers should plan accordingly.

Orrison/Hamrick


Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php