Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 315 PM EST Wed Feb 19 2014 Valid 00Z Thu Feb 20 2014 - 00Z Sat Feb 22 2014 ...There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Central Plains/Middle Mississippi Valley... ...Heavy snow for the Upper Great Lakes... ...Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley... A developing strong storm over the Central Plains will move northward to Lake Superior by Friday. The system will produce snow over parts of the Northern/Central Rockies on Wednesday evening that will move onto the parts of the Upper Midwest by Thursday morning and the Upper Great Lakes through Friday morning. When the front moves onto the Plains, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will pool along the boundary aiding in the development of showers and thunderstorms over the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley into parts of the Ohio Valley by Thursday morning. The showers and thunderstorms will move eastward from the Ohio Valley/Central Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast by Friday morning. Light to moderate rain will also develop over parts of the Western Ohio Valley by Thursday morning and expand into Lower Great Lakes by Thursday evening and move into parts of New England by Friday. A narrow band of rain/freezing rain will develop over parts of Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan on Thursday evening and over parts of Northern Maine by Friday morning. Meanwhile, a front moving onshore over the Pacific Northwest will move inland to the Northern Plains by Friday. The system will produce coastal rain and higher elevation snow over the Pacific Northwest through Thursday night. Snow will move into parts of the Northern Rockies by Thursday morning continuing into parts of the Northern High Plains and Northern Plains by Thursday evening into Friday. Elsewhere, low off the New England Coast will move northeastward into the Canadian Maritimes by Thursday morning. The storm will produce snow over parts of New England and rain along Coastal New England ending by Thursday morning. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php