KEY POINTS

Northeast has experienced easing temperatures as polar air mass subsides.

Lake-effect snow persists in select areas of the East ongoing through Thursday.

A strong Pacific storm will bring rain and snow to California and Oregon.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — at least for now. After a frigid blast that turned much of the country into a winter postcard this week, the nation’s weather is starting to rearrange itself, according to the National Weather Service .

In a short-range forecast discussion issued early Wednesday, the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said the polar air mass and strong winds responsible for snow-swept streets and record chills in the East are finally easing up. “Temperatures moderate in the East; West and Central U.S

See Full Page