Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 346 AM EST Sat Jan 11 2014 Valid 12Z Sat Jan 11 2014 - 12Z Mon Jan 13 2014 ...Flash flooding and severe storms will be possible with a cold front crossing the eastern U.S. on Saturday... ...Significant Pacific storm moving inland will bring high winds...soaking rains...and heavy mountain snows to the Northwest this weekend... Widespread shower activity will continue to fire up ahead of a strong cold front crossing the eastern third of the Nation on Saturday. Ample amounts of moisture getting pulled out of the Gulf and Atlantic will fuel organized areas of heavy rains and thunderstorms...which will pose a risk for flash flooding and severe storms across portions of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Farther north...precipitation developing to the north of a warm front lifting through the Great Lakes and Northeast could initially start as snow or freezing rain...but should change to all rain early Saturday as warm air moving in gradually erodes an arctic airmass in place. The strong cold front will push well out into the Atlantic on Sunday...and with the exception of some lingering snow showers over the Lower Great Lakes and interior New England...conditions should quickly clear out over the eastern U.S.. A significant Pacific storm will raise havoc on the northwestern corner of the Country as it moves inland this weekend. Strong and gusty winds will be possible surrounding both the deep surface low steadily tracking eastward just north of the Canadian border and the trailing cold front dropping southeastward through the western U.S.. The strong winds against the terrain...combined with a fair amount of Pacific moisture...will produce soaking rains along coastal areas from Washington state down to Northern California and heavy mountain snows over the higher elevations of the Cascades and Northern Rockies. Snowfall could be measured in feet in some locations. The system impacting the West on Saturday will become a bit moisture starved once it pushes out into the north central U.S. on Sunday...but what little precipitation does fall over North Dakota...Minnesota...and the Upper Great Lakes could fall as a wintry mix. Farther south...as the cold front sinking through the western U.S. drops into the Southern Plains late in the period...conditions will become increasingly unsettled over East Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley Sunday night into Monday. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php