Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 308 AM EST Thu Jan 01 2015 Valid 12Z Thu Jan 01 2015 - 12Z Sat Jan 03 2015 ...Heavy rain possible over parts of the Southern Plains/Lower Mississippi Valley... ...Sleet and freezing rain will be possible for Western Texas... Upper-level closed low over the Southwest will slowly move eastward to the Southern Plains by Friday evening. The system will produce snow over parts of the Southwest and Southern/Central Rockies through Friday morning. As the system moves eastward, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will overrun the associated front along the Gulf Coast producing rain over parts of the Southern Plains that will expand along the Gulf Coast to the Southeast by Friday evening. Areas of rain/freezing rain will develop over parts of the Southern High Plains Thursday into Friday. Snow will also develop over parts of the Southern High Plains on Friday evening. A front along the Northern Tier States will move eastward to the Northeast/Great Lakes by Friday evening. The system will produce snow over the Upper Great Lakes that will expand into the Lower Great Lakes by Thursday evening. The snow over the Lower Great Lakes will begin to wane by Friday evening. A wave of low pressure will move southward out of Western Canada that will move into the Northern High Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley on Friday. Snow will develop over parts of the Northern High Plains into the Upper Great Lakes by Friday evening. In addition, onshore flow over parts of the Pacific Northwest will produce lower elevation rain and higher elevation snow over parts of Western Washington State by Friday evening. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php