Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 334 PM EST Tue Dec 17 2013 Valid 00Z Wed Dec 18 2013 - 00Z Fri Dec 20 2013 ...Light snow showers likely for the Northwest as a Pacific front drops through... ...A strengthening surface low continues to bring accumulating snows to coastal New England... A surface front dropping southeastward out of the Eastern Pacific will bring unsettled weather back into the Western U.S. this period. An overall lack of moisture should keep the precipitation light, scattered, and generally confined to the higher terrain as the front makes its way through the Intermountain West on Wednesday. By Wednesday evening though, an arctic boundary dipping southward out of Canada begins to interact with the Pacific system to bring more organized upslope snow to Western Montana. Some of this snow should spill over into the Northern High Plains on Wednesday night, but only marginal accumulations are expected. Out east, a strengthening surface low hugging the New England coastline will continue to drop moderate to heavy snow this evening across eastern New England. Storm total accumulations of less than 6 inches are possible, except for eastern Maine where as much as 10 inches could fall before all is said and done. The upper level energy associated with this system could also enhance the lake effect across the Great Lakes region, but only minor snowfall accumulations are expected. As the energy moves northeastward out of the region on Wednesday, high pressure takes over and rather pleasant weather moves in for the remainder of the work week across much of the eastern U.S. Monarski Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php