Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 251 AM EST Tue Jan 14 2014 Valid 12Z Tue Jan 14 2014 - 12Z Thu Jan 16 2014 ...Steady rains expected with an area of low pressure tracking up the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday... ...Light snows and gusty winds possible with a pair of clipper systems streaking through the north central U.S.... ...Conditions will remain dry out West... Widespread shower activity will continue to breakout ahead of a cold front crossing the Appalachians on Tuesday. The best chance for any heavy and organized precipitation will be over coastal areas from the Carolinas to Maine...near an area of low pressure lifting northward along the Eastern Seaboard. This will be predominantly a rain event for the Eastern U.S....but some of the higher elevations of interior New England could see a wintry mix of precipitation. The southern portion of the front will be slow to push away from the Southeast coast on Wednesday...bringing another day of showers to southern Florida. A clipper system will bring gusty winds and a shot of cooler air while it drops through the Central U.S. on Tuesday and then pushes towards the Atlantic Coast on Wednesday. The system will have limited moisture to work with...but a swath of snow will still be possible with the surface low tracking through the Great Lakes. Also...some light snows will be possible with the passing of the trailing cold front. Upstream...a second clipper system dropping through Canada will bring another round of light snows and strong winds to the north central U.S. on Wednesday. Out West...an upper ridge building back in over the West Coast/Eastern Pacific will keep locations west of the Continental Divide dry for the next few days. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php