Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 336 AM EDT Wed Mar 19 2014 Valid 12Z Wed Mar 19 2014 - 12Z Fri Mar 21 2014 ***Snow for the Great Lakes and northern New England*** ***Pacific cold front to bring showers and mountain snow to the West*** ***Warmer temperatures expected for much of the Eastern U.S.*** A surface low tracking across the Great Lakes and into Ontario will provide a band of light to moderate snow from the Upper Great Lakes to northern New England through Thursday morning, and showers farther to the south over the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic region. Unlike the previous system, the cold front from this low will bring in an air mass from the Northern Pacific instead of northern Canada, so no Arctic invasion is expected with the passage of this front. It will be more of a drier air mass than a temperature drop. Pleasantly mild temperatures are in the forecast for the end of the week for many areas across central and eastern U.S. Another storm system will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and travel inland to the northern High Plains by Thursday. Periods of coastal rain and higher elevation snow over the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies is likely during the middle of the week in response to this front. Like the previous frontal system, this is not bringing in an Arctic air mass behind it. However, there is an Arctic front in southern Canada by Thursday night, and this will deliver much colder temperatures to the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest by the end of the week. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php