Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 350 PM EST Tue Dec 31 2013 Valid 00Z Wed Jan 01 2014 - 00Z Fri Jan 03 2014 ...Snow and bitter cold expected across the northern tier of the Nation... ...Moderate to heavy rains...with embedded thunderstorms will move into the southeastern U.S. Wednesday evening... ...Complex forecast setting up over the Eastern U.S. later this week... Bitter cold will continue to settle in over the northern tier of the Country Tuesday night into Wednesday. In addition to frigid temperatures...an axis of light snows will set up to the north of a frontal boundary stretched east to west across the Nation's mid-section...which will impact much of the Midwest...Great Lakes...and Ohio Valley. Although snow should be light...continued lake effect activity will help boost snowfall accumulations. A piece of energy aloft will trigger light snow showers as it dives southeastward along the Northern/Central Rockies Tuesday night...and then is expected to push the boundary stretched through the middle of the Country southeastward as a cold front through the Middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys Wednesday into Thursday. Farther south...weather will remain active along the Gulf Coast states...to the north of a strengthening frontal boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. As the boundary surges northward as a warm front on Wednesday...moderate to heavy rains...with embedded thunderstorms...will spread into the southeastern U.S.. Late in the forecast period...this system is expected to begin interacting with the previously mentioned cold front pushing through the Middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. This interaction will set the stage for a complex forecast over the Eastern U.S. by Thursday evening. Out West...conditions will stay on the dry side as ridging slides in aloft. An exception to this will be across the Pacific Northwest...where a cold front approaching the coast will trigger light precipitation Wednesday night into Thursday. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php