085 FXUS01 KWBC 300809 PMDSPD Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 308 AM EST Tue Dec 30 2025 Valid 12Z Tue Dec 30 2025 - 12Z Thu Jan 01 2026 ...Heavy lake-effect snow expected to linger across the Great Lakes as a big cyclone pivots away into eastern Canada... ...Arctic air will dominate the eastern two-thirds of the country including Florida followed by a quick warm-up across the Northern and Central Plains amid a mild and tranquil Intermountain West... ...Rain associated with an anomalous low pressure system from the tropical latitudes is forecast to bring the threat of flash flooding for southern California on New Year's Eve into New Year's Day... With the gradual departure of an intense cyclone that has recently impacted portions of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes with blizzard conditions, much of the U.S. mainland will enter a period of relative tranquil weather. Nevertheless, the surge of arctic air behind the intense cyclone will invade much of the eastern two-thirds of the country. In the process, the lake-effect "snow machine" will remain active downwind from the Great Lakes, and will be reinforced with the arrival of an Alberta clipper later today. The highest snowfall totals are forecast to be downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario where an additional 1-2 feet with locally 3+ feet possible within the heaviest snow bands through the next couple of days. Adjacent areas across the upper Midwest to the far northern Plains as well as interior New England can also expect snow showers from the clipper, although winter weather impacts appear to be minor. Meanwhile, blustery winds today will add to the arctic chill across the entire eastern U.S., with low temperatures reaching the freezing mark as far south as the Florida Panhandle early this morning, prompting the issuance of Freeze Warnings, Watches, and Cold Weather Advisories across the region. By Wednesday morning, freezing temperatures are forecast to reach even farther south into the suburbs of Tampa, Florida before a gradual moderating trend sets in across the eastern U.S. Meanwhile, snow showers could be as far south as the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia this morning as general light snow exits Maine. Tranquil weather and milder than normal temperatures will prevail across much of the Intermountain West under the influence of a stable high pressure ridge at all levels of the atmosphere. The milder than normal temperatures will quickly spill into the northern and central Plains today behind a warm front with the aforementioned Alberta clipper approaching the U.S.-Canadian border. By Wednesday, the mild air will be shoved farther south into the central Plains as a reinforcing shot of arctic air reaches into the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes behind the clipper. A swath of light snow is forecast to spread into the Ohio Valley on New Year's Eve, reaching into the western slopes of the central Appalachians at the dawn of the new year! Meanwhile, rain ahead of a low pressure system that has developed in the unusually southern latitudes of the eastern Pacific is lurking just off Baja California in northwestern Mexico. This system is forecast to head north and edge toward California through the next couple of days. The rain is forecast to reach southern California on New Year's Eve and continue to spread north through much of California, the Desert Southwest, reaching into Great Basin and the Four Corners from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. It appears that heavy rain could begin impacting coastal southern California including Los Angeles early on New Year's Day along with a looming threat of flash flooding as the triple-point frontal system approaches. Kong Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php $$