Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
241 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

Valid 12Z Fri Dec 19 2025 - 12Z Sun Dec 21 2025

...Heavy snow over parts of the UP and northern LP of Michigan and Lakes
Erie/Ontario coastline...

...Heavy snow for the Cascades and Northern Rockies...

...There is a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over parts of the Pacific
Northwest on Friday...

A front extending from the Lower Great Lakes to the Southeast will move
eastward off the East Coast by Friday evening. The system will produce
rain over parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through Friday evening.
Upper-level energy associated with the system will produce light to
moderate snow over the UP and northern LP of Michigan and parts of
Ohio/Central Appalachians/Northeast through Saturday morning. Moderate to
heavy snow will develop downwind from Lakes Erie/Ontario also through
Saturday morning. See the WPC Heavy Snow Discussion for details and
amounts.

Meanwhile, a front over the Northern Intermountain Region and the Pacific
Northwest will move eastward into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Lower
Mississippi Valley, and Southern Plains by Sunday. The storm will produce
rain and higher-elevation snow across the Pacific Northwest, Northern
Intermountain Region, and Northern Rockies through Sunday. Rain and the
highest-elevation snow will develop across parts of California through
Sunday. In addition, a plume of moisture will stream into Northern
California, producing heavy rain. Therefore, the WPC has issued a Slight
Risk (level 2/4) of excessive rainfall through Saturday morning. The
associated heavy rain will create mainly localized areas of flash
flooding, with urban areas, roads, small streams, and burn scars being the
most vulnerable.

Along the associated warm front over the Northern Plains, areas of
rain/freezing rain will develop through Saturday morning.  Light to
moderate snow will also develop over parts of the Northern Plains/Upper
Mississippi Valley through Saturday morning. As the boundary moves over
the Great Lakes, moderate to heavy snow will develop over parts of the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan from Saturday into Sunday morning. From
Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, light snow will return downwind from
the Great Lakes and into parts of the Northeast.

Overnight Friday, a wave of low pressure will develop along the front over
the Central Rockies, producing light snow over the region through Sunday.
Along with the system, light rain will develop over parts of the Great
Basin from Friday into Sunday


Ziegenfelder


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