Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 247 PM EST Wed Jan 14 2015 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 15 2015 - 00Z Sat Jan 17 2015 ...Heavy rain and snow over parts of the Pacific Northwest... ...Heavy rain over parts of Northern California... Upper-level energy over the Southwest/Northern Mexico will move eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Southeast Coast by Friday. The energy will produce rain along portions of the Western/Central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening. The rain will become light to moderate along parts of Central/Eastern Gulf Coast on Thursday morning through Thursday afternoon. The rain will become light again over the Southeast before ending later Thursday night. In addition, upper-level jet energy will aid in producing an area of light snow over parts of the Middle Mississippi Valley and the Western Ohio Valley early Thursday morning. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure over South-Central Canada will move rapidly northeastward to Quebec by Friday morning. The associated front will move into the Upper Midwest by Thursday evening moving into the Great Lakes by Friday morning. The system will produce light snow over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley on Wednesday evening that will move eastward across the Upper Great Lakes to parts of the Northeast by Friday morning. Additionally, an approaching Pacific front will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest by Friday morning. Rain will develop over parts of the Pacific Northwest Coast on Thursday morning and will expand inland on Thursday. Moderate to heavy rain will develop along the Northwest Coast by Thursday evening that will expand inland on Friday morning. Snow will develop over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region on Thursday evening. The snow will become moderate over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region/Northern Rockies by Friday morning. Elsewhere, a coastal low off the Mid-Atlantic Coast will move out over the Atlantic on Wednesday evening. As the system pulls away, light rain will wind down over parts of the Southern Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Coast. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php