Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
253 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

Valid 12Z Sat Dec 8 2018 - 12Z Mon Dec 10 2018

...Winter storm to bring ice and snow from the southern plains to the
Appalachians, and heavy rain from eastern Texas to South Carolina...

A strong storm system crossing the Gulf Coast region early Saturday
morning will take a southerly track across the Deep South and then to the
southeast U.S. coast through the weekend.  In the warm sector of the
surface low, heavy rain is forecast from southeast Texas to South Carolina
in response to a deep surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.  The
Weather Prediction Center currently has a Slight Risk of excessive
rainfall for Saturday and Saturday night from Louisiana to Georgia, with 1
to 3 inches of rainfall expected.  The rainfall rates are expected to be
high at times, increasing the threat of flooding.  Flash flood watches are
also in effect for parts of this region. 

As the surface low tracks eastward roughly along the Florida Gulf Coast
and then the southeast U.S. coast through late Sunday, a swath of
accumulating snow and ice is expected to extend from eastern Tennessee to
south-central Virginia.  Winter storm warnings are now in effect from
northwest South Carolina to southwest Virginia.  Snowfall amounts in these
areas could reach a foot or more, particularly for the mountains of
western North Carolina.  Travel will likely be severely affected across
much of these areas, and some power outages are also possible.  Mixed
precipitation and wet snow across the Piedmont areas of the Carolinas and
southern Virginia will tend to lower overall accumulations there, but may
still disrupt travel.  Winter weather advisories are also in effect from
eastern New Mexico to the Memphis area with some light to moderate snow
and ice accumulations possible, and winter storm warnings for the Ozarks
of northern Arkansas.

Elsewhere across the nation, some lake effect snow is likely across parts
of Michigan and New York on Saturday as cold northwesterly flow crosses
the warmer lake waters.  Showers and mountain snow returns to western
Washington and Oregon on Saturday as a cold front approaches from the
eastern Pacific.  Colder than normal temperatures are expected to persist
across much of the central and northern U.S. through the weekend with a
large Canadian surface high in place.

D. Hamrick


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