.SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... A LIFE THREATENING...POTENTIALLY HISTORIC WINTER STORM EXPECTED FROM LATE TODAY INTO TUESDAY... NWP GUIDANCE HAS SHOWN A LITTLE MORE SPREAD THAN ONE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT SUCH A SHORT RANGE. MUCH OF THE 00Z GUIDANCE LOWERED QPF AMOUNTS FOR MUCH OF THE REGION...WHICH WOULD MEAN LOWER SNOW TOTALS. HOWEVER...THE 00Z ECMWF REMAINED VERY CONSISTENT WITH ITS PREVIOUS RUNS. IT DID LOWER QPF SLIGHTLY...BUT THE OVERALL EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM REMAINED SIMILAR TO ITS 12Z RUN. DID NOT WANT TO MAKE DRASTIC CHANGES TO THE EXPECTED SNOW AMOUNTS AND HEADLINES WITH JUST ONE MODEL CYCLE. IN FACT...THE LATEST 06Z NAM HAS COME INTO CLOSER AGREEMENT WITH THE 00Z ECMWF. THE 21Z AND 03Z SREF MEANS REMAINED SIMILAR TO THE 00Z ECMWF AND 06Z NAM. THE 00Z GFS APPEARS TO BE A FAST NE OUTLIER. IT MAY ALSO BE SUFFERING FROM CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK AS THE SURFACE LOW FOLLOWS QPF MAXIMUM OFFSHORE...AND DOES NOT SEEM TO GET FULLY CAPTURED BY THE UPPER LOW. STILL ANTICIPATE THE LOW TO UNDERGO RAPID INTENSIFICATION AS THE PARENT UPPER LOW CUTS OFF ALOFT NEAR THE MID ATLANTIC COAST TONIGHT. THE LOW STALLS SE OF MONTAUK LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. A PROLONGED PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED ON THE NW FLANK OF THE LOW...IN THE DEFORMATION ZONE. THE MID LEVEL LOW CENTERS AND INTENSE MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS WILL PROMOTE HEAVY SNOW BANDS...BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT THEIR LOCATION THIS FAR OUT. MODELS ALSO HAVE A TENDENCY TO NOT SPREAD THE BEST LIFT FAR ENOUGH NW IN INTENSE CYCLONES. WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND...DID LOWER SNOW TOTALS SLIGHTLY IN COLLABORATION WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES AND WPC...BUT WE ARE STILL EXPECTING AN OVERALL 18 TO 24 INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER WHERE BEST MESOSCALE SNOW BANDING SETS UP. SNOWFALL RATES OF 2-4 INCHES PER HOUR EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO TUE MORNING. IN ADDITION...THE DEEP LOW PRESSURE COMBINED WITH STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND WEST AND HEAVY FALLING/BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT...WITH POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINED WINDS UP TO 35 MPH ON LONG ISLAND...AND WIND GUSTS RANGING FROM 40 MPH INLAND...TO 45-50 MPH MOST ELSEWHERE. GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH CANNOT BE RULED OUT ACROSS FAR EASTERN LONG ISLAND. WITH THE LOW NEARLY STALLING NEAR CAPE COD ON TUESDAY...LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN MESOSCALE BANDS...ESPECIALLY LATE TUESDAY MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. TEMPS DURING THE STORM WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 20S...EXCEPT FALLING TO 15-20 TONIGHT INLAND. WIND CHILLS WILL BE MOSTLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO MID TEENS...BUT COULD GET CLOSE TO ZERO ACROSS SOUTHERN CT. TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY WILL ONLY BE IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 20S.