Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 459 PM EDT Tue Mar 25 2014 Valid 00Z Wed Mar 26 2014 - 00Z Fri Mar 28 2014 ...A rapidly deepening coastal storm will threaten the New England coast with heavy snows and high winds... ...Widespread precipitation expected with a Pacific front moving inland over the Western U.S.... ...Shower and thunderstorm activity should move through Texas on Wednesday... ...Snows expected to develop over the Upper Great Lakes by Thursday... A surface low tracking up the Eastern Seaboard Tuesday night will rapidly intensify while it interacts with energy from a cold front pushing through the Mid-Atlantic states. The storm should track far enough offshore to keep any significant precipitation confined to the coastal areas, but strong northwesterly flow behind the storm will make for a blustery day up and down much of the eastern U.S. on Wednesday. Also...the combination of heavy snows and high winds surrounding the deepening low will threaten portions of the New England coast with blizzard conditions before the storm lifts into the Canadian Maritimes on Thursday. Widespread precipitation is expected with a Pacific front moving inland over the Western U.S. Tuesday night into Wednesday. The highest totals will be along coastal areas from Washington state to Northern California..as well as down along the Sierra Nevada range...where persistent onshore flow behind the front and orographics should really help boost amounts. Higher totals will also be possible over some of the favored terrain of the Intermountain West and Northern/Central Rockies. In addition...lowering temperatures and snow levels across the West will allow for accumulating Spring snows over the higher elevations. A weak piece of southern stream energy lifting out of the Southwest and return flow from the western Gulf will help trigger and fuel scattered thunderstorm activity across much of Texas on Wednesday. As the energy lifts northeastward on Thursday and additional Gulf moisture gets pulled northward into the central U.S...precipitation should break out across the Middle/Upper Mississippi Valley...and conditions should be cold enough to support snows developing across the Upper Great Lakes. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php