Winter storm to impact the Central/Southern Rockies and adjacent HighPlains going through the weekend.Areas of severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding willbe possible through Sunday from central and eastern Texas into theMid-South.Potentially record-setting warmth expected tonight across portions ofthe Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast.A winter storm associated with a strong upper-level trough and closedsurface low will begin spilling east out across areas of the High Plainstonight. Colder temperatures and areas of heavy precipitation will yieldheavy accumulating snowfall for the higher terrain, with specific emphasison the Sangre De Cristo range of south-central to southeast Colorado intonortheast New Mexico. Areas from the Front Range south all the way intothe Texas Panhandle will see snow develop and become locally heavy aswell, as the storm system gradually ejects east out into the SouthernPlains by later Sunday. Snowfall accumulations of as much as 4 to 8 inchesare expected for locations away from the higher terrain and over theimmediate High Plains. However, accumulations of 6 to 12 inches can beexpected over the Southern/Central Rockies, with some isolated 12 to 18inch amounts expected over the Sangre De Cristo range and SacramentoMountains.The energy associated with this ejecting winter storm will also beinteracting with a cold front that will be slowing down and eventuallystalling out across areas of the South. As multiple waves of low pressuregradually eject east out of the Rio Grande Valley and along this front,the pooling of moisture and instability from the Gulf of Mexico should setthe stage for multiple rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms. Thefront which will extend across areas of central and eastern Texas into theMid-South, will support a threat of severe weather for tonight throughSunday including a threat for locally damaging winds, large hail, and afew tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center has depicted a Slight Risk ofsevere weather (level 2 of 5) across portions of central to eastern Texas.The low pressure system is forecast to pick up steam and organize as itmoves across the Lower Mississippi Valley/Southeast on Monday. Thus, theSevere Weather threat shifts into the Southeast on Monday where a SlightRisk is in effect.In addition to the severe weather threat, heavy rainfall is expected, andareas of the Mid-South in particular may see locally several inches ofrain from instances of training showers and thunderstorms going throughearly Sunday. This will drive a threat for flash flooding, and the theWeather Prediction Center has accordingly depicted a Slight Risk (level 2of 4) of excessive rainfall for this region. Adjacent areas of the GulfCoast states and the Southeast by later Sunday into Monday will also see athreat of heavy showers and thunderstorms as low pressure finallyconsolidates and lifts northeastward into the Mid-South.Elsewhere, very mild temperatures are expected for many areas of thenorthern and eastern U.S. as there continues to be a lack of cold airdropping south from Canada. Potentially record-setting warmth is expectedfor tonight across the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast where temperatureswill be as much as 15 to 25 degrees above average.