Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 355 AM EST Fri Feb 07 2014 Valid 12Z Fri Feb 07 2014 - 12Z Sun Feb 09 2014 ...Steady coastal rains and heavy mountain snows continue out West... ...Quick moving coastal low could bring unsettled weather from northern Florida to the Carolina coasts... Persistent onshore flow will keep conditions unsettled across the Western U.S. the next few days. Widespread precipitation is expected surrounding a frontal boundary stretched through Oregon...the Intermountain West...and down into the Colorado Rockies; However...the heaviest amounts will be closer to the coast...where waves of energy aloft...combined with favored orographics...will help produce significant totals along the Oregon/California coastal ranges as well as the Sierra Nevada. With the exception of locations along the coast...the majority of precipitation should fall as snow...leading to impressive snowfall totals over some of the higher terrain. Energy ejecting out of the Southwest and crossing the southern tier on Friday should help foster precipitation to the north of a frontal boundary stalled across the northern Gulf. Amounts should initially be light with this system...but a winter mix will be possible within the northern fringe of the precipitation shield. Also...as the energy lifts towards the Mid-Atlantic and spins up a surface low off the Southeast coast on Saturday...some heavier rains are expected over northern Florida and the Carolina coasts. Light snows will be a possibility farther inland while the coastal low races away from the Eastern Seaboard. Light snows will be possible with a weak piece of energy streaking from the Midwest to the Northeast/Northern Mid-Atlantic states Saturday into Sunday. Moisture will be extremely limited with this system...keeping accumulations to a minimum. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php