Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 422 AM EDT Fri Sep 27 2013 Valid 12Z Fri Sep 27 2013 - 12Z Sun Sep 29 2013 ...Heavy rains and severe weather will be possible with a cold front sweeping through the Central U.S.... ...The pattern will become increasingly wet across the Pacific Northwest this weekend... A closed low opening up and lifting northeastward out of the Great Basin/Rockies will be the main weather maker across the Central U.S. during the short range period. Some scattered rain and snow showers will linger over the Central Rockies on Friday...but the main focus for precipitation will be with a strong cold front sweeping through the Upper Midwest...Middle Mississippi Valley...and Central to Southern Plains. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to breakout along the boundary...and plenty of moisture streaming northward out of the Western Gulf should fuel an organized line of convection containing heavy rains and potentially severe weather. A wet pattern will be setting up over the northwestern corner of the Country this weekend. The initial surge of moisture and precipitation will come with a cold front approaching the Pacific Northwest on Friday. The boundary should weaken while progressing inland...but an upper vortex deepening in the Gulf of Alaska/North Pacific will only increase onshore flow on Saturday. The abundance of moisture...combined with favored orographics...will allow for moderate to heavy rains across the Pacific Northwest and inland along the Northern Rockies. A strong surface high settled in over the Eastern Seaboard should keep weather dry and quiet across many locations from the Central Gulf Coast to New England. However...northeasterly flow in response to a surface low deepening well off the Southeast coast will bring the possibility for light precipitation along the Carolina Coast and Florida's Atlantic coast. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php