Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 352 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2013 Valid 12Z Wed Sep 25 2013 - 12Z Fri Sep 27 2013 ***Active weather pattern over the Rockies*** ***Showers and storms for the Southeast U.S.*** ***High quality airmass continues over the Eastern U.S.*** The main weather maker for the continental U.S. will be a storm system traversing the Rocky Mountains during the middle of the week. A well defined cold front extending from the Dakotas to the Four Corners region will usher in a colder airmass from western Canada and cause snow levels in the central and northern Rockies to fall. Significant snowfall is likely for the higher elevations of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming through Thursday, and winter storm warnings are in effect for some of these areas. Patchy areas of rain are expected for the lower elevations. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue to focus along a frontal boundary extending from the northern Gulf of Mexico eastward to the Southeast coast. A couple waves of low pressure are expected along this boundary, and moisture should make it as far north as the Southern Appalachians and perhaps southern Virginia along with some scattered shower activity. It will remain warm and very humid for early fall standards along the Gulf Coast and into Florida. Farther to the north from Virginia to New England, an autumnal and high quality airmass is forecast to remain in place over the next couple of days. This surface ridge of high pressure will bring continued fall-like weather with highs in the 60s and 70s, and lows in the 40s and 50s, along with lower humidity. There may be more clouds in northern New England from a surface low over Eastern Canada, but otherwise mostly sunny skies should prevail. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php