Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
249 AM EST Sat Nov 29 2025

Valid 12Z Sat Nov 29 2025 - 12Z Mon Dec 01 2025

...Major winter storm over the central/northern Plains will spread
eastward into the Midwest and Great Lakes region this weekend with
widespread heavy snowfall and hazardous travel conditions...

...Scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms will focus along the
western Gulf Coast this weekend with locally heavy rainfall possible...

...A wintry pattern bringing well below average, chilly temperatures to
much of the eastern and central U.S....

A winter-like pattern over the CONUS will continue to bring bouts of
impactful winter weather as well as very chilly temperatures into the
weekend. Bands of heavy snow continue this morning across portions of the
central/northern Plains ahead of an upper-wave over the Rockies. As this
upper-wave emerges over the Plains today, lee cyclogenesis will help to
deepen/organize a low pressure system that will lift northeastward from
the central Plains into the Midwest, continuing to support a broad area of
heavy snow spreading eastward into the Great Lakes region. Snowfall rates
exceeding 1"/hour are expected, especially through the day Saturday,
leading to storm total accumulations between 6-12". The combination of
heavy snow rates along with gusty winds will create dangerous travel
conditions due to limited visibility and snow-covered roadways. The snow
should taper off from west to east overnight Saturday and into Sunday
morning. To the south in the warm sector of the system, moist Gulf return
flow ahead of an eastward moving cold front will help to support scattered
to widespread showers and thunderstorms from the southern Plains east into
the Lower Mississippi Valley today. Some moderate to locally heavy
rainfall is expected especially along the western Gulf Coast where greater
moisture and at least some modest instability will be present. Some
isolated flash flooding will be possible, as well as some severe weather.
A messier wintry mix can be expected ahead of the low across portions of
the Middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. The low pressure system will lift
northeastward from the Great Lakes into southeastern Canada on Sunday,
with a wintry mix spreading into the Interior Northeast and New England.
Rain showers will extend southwestward along the trailing cold front form
the coastal Mid-Atlantic into the Tennessee Valley, with heavier showers
and thunderstorms continuing along the western Gulf Coast.

Elsewhere, another upper-wave will drop southward across the Pacific
Northwest/northern Great Basin later Saturday, bringing some light low
elevation/coastal showers and interior/higher elevation mountain snow. The
upper-wave will push a lingering frontal boundary southward as a cold
front into the day Sunday, helping to support some more moderate interior
snowfall across the central Great Basin into the central Rockies. Some
lighter snow may also spread into the central Plains with
showers/thunderstorms for Texas ahead of the upper-wave into early Monday.

Broad, mean upper-troughing across the eastern/central U.S. and a series
of cold front passages will continue to bring well below average, cold to
very cold temperatures this weekend. The next cold front pressing
southward through the Plains will bring highs as low as the single digits
for the northern High Plains Saturday-Sunday, with 20s and 30s into the
northern and central Plains and eastward into the Midwest/Mississippi
Valley. Highs will be much warmer and into the 70s and 80s ahead of the
cold front in Texas on Saturday before the frontal passage brings
temperatures crashing down Sunday, with highs only into the 30s and 40s
for many locations. Gusty winds with the front will lead to wind chills in
the teens and 20s Sunday morning as far south as north Texas. Conditions
will remain cooler Saturday along the East Coast as well, with 30s and 40s
as far south as the Carolinas, and 50s for the broader Southeast.
Southerly flow ahead of the next approaching system will bring a brief
warm up for southeastern coastal locations on Sunday as highs climb into
the 60s. Temperatures will remain relatively warmer over the western U.S.
with highs around or a bit above seasonal averages. Forecast highs
Saturday-Sunday range from the 40s in the interior, 50s and 60s along the
West Coast, and 60s and 70s for the Desert Southwest. 

Putnam

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