Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 358 PM EST Fri Feb 21 2014 Valid 00Z Sat Feb 22 2014 - 00Z Mon Feb 24 2014 ...Snow and winds will diminish behind the deep cyclone lifting out of the Upper Great Lakes while heavy rains and thunderstorms push off the Eastern Seaboard with the trailing cold front... ...Arctic air expected to invade the north central U.S. this weekend... Snows and strong winds will gradually diminish across Upper Great Lakes as a deep surface low steadily weakens while lifting well into Ontario Friday evening. Heavy rains and thunderstorms will push offshore with the cyclone's trailing cold front clearing the Eastern Seaboard; However...the southern portion of the boundary will stall out while trying to drop through Florida on Saturday and cause another day of shower and thunderstorm activity. On Sunday...the tail end of the boundary lingering back across the Gulf of Mexico is expected to surge northward as a warm front...bringing the potential for unsettled weather into the Gulf Coast states. Strong high pressure nosing down from western Canada will bring a fresh supply of Arctic air into the north central U.S....and the much below normal temperatures will begin to spread south and east through the Nation's midsection this weekend. Overall...limited moisture should keep precipitation sparse...but pieces of shortwave energy streaking through a broad trough aloft could trigger light rain and snow activity. The greatest chance for precipitation will be along the upslope side of the Northern/Central Rockies and adjacent High Plains. Elsewhere...coastal rains and higher elevation snows are expected over the Pacific Northwest this weekend...where a weak system will be dropping down from the British Columbia coast. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php