Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 337 AM EST Wed Dec 24 2014 Valid 12Z Wed Dec 24 2014 - 12Z Fri Dec 26 2014 ***Widespread rain for the eastern U.S. on Wednesday*** ***Snow and wind for the Great Lakes*** ***More snow for the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains*** A complex storm system over the eastern U.S. is forecast to consolidate into a main surface low that will track northward from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes by Wednesday night. This will create a variety of weather impacts for Christmas travelers on Wednesday. A broad area of steady rain is expected from Florida to New England, with the heaviest rainfall occurring south of the Virginia state line. The Southeast states will also have some strong to severe thunderstorms ahead of the cold front. On the western side of the developing surface low, rain is expected to change to snow from Illinois to northern Michigan, with several inches of snow accumulation a possibility. There will also be a fair amount of wind over this region as the low intensifies. Some higher-elevation snow showers are also possible for parts of the central and northern Appalachians after the cold front moves through. Out West, a Pacific storm system is expected to bring widespread snow showers from Washington state to the western High Plains on Thursday, giving many in those areas a white Christmas. The greatest accumulations are expected for the higher mountain ranges of the central and northern Rockies. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php