Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 309 AM EST Fri Jan 02 2015 Valid 12Z Fri Jan 02 2015 - 12Z Sun Jan 04 2015 ...Heavy rain possible from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys... ...Pockets of rain/freezing rain possible arching from Texas to Ohio Valley... Developing storm along the Western Gulf Coast will move northward to the Middle Mississippi Valley by Saturday evening. The system will pull moisture off the Gulf of Mexico northward to the Ohio Valley/Lower Great Lakes also by Saturday. An area of rain/freezing rain will develop over parts of the Texas panhandle on Friday. While snow will develop over parts of the Southern High Plains/Southern Rockies by Friday evening. In addition, showers and thunderstorms will develop over the Western/Central Gulf Coast on Friday and extend from the Western Ohio Valley to the Lower Mississippi Valley by Saturday. Additionally, a band of rain will develop over parts of the Tennessee Valley to the Southern Plains on Friday. As the storm moves north, the rain will lift into the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday. Snow will develop from the Middle Missouri Valley to the Great Lakes and the Northeast as well. Along the rain/snow line, pockets of rain/freezing rain will develop also on Saturday. A wave of low pressure over the Northern Plains will move southeastward along with the associated front to the Middle Mississippi Valley by Saturday evening. The system will produce light snow over parts of the Northern Rockies to the Upper Mississippi Valley by Friday evening. The area of snow will move into the Upper Great Lakes by Saturday evening. Snow will also linger over the Northern Rockies on Saturday morning that will wane over the Central Rockies by Saturday evening. Another wave of low pressure will emerge along the boundary over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region by Saturday evening. The new wave will bring snow over the Northern High Plains. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php