Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 345 PM EST Sat Jan 17 2015 Valid 00Z Sun Jan 18 2015 - 00Z Tue Jan 20 2015 ...Heavy rain and mountain snow for the Pacific Northwest will be winding down during the day Sunday... ...Warmer temperatures and a coastal storm for New England Sunday into Monday... ...Temperatures 10 to 25 degrees above average will continue a January Thaw for the Great Plains... Ongoing heavy rain across Washington and Oregon will spread east overnight tonight, with relatively mild temperatures for mid-January. Some flooding will be possible in western Washington and Oregon given snow levels will rise to between 7000 and 8000 feet which will cause snow melt and rises of local rivers. Downstream across the higher terrain of Idaho, Montana and northwest Wyoming, heavy snow is expected before precipitation becomes more showery in nature after a cold frontal passage on Sunday. Across the center of the country, upper level ridging or zonal flow aloft will cause warm conditions to persist through Monday from Texas to North Dakota. Box maximum and minimum temperatures are forecast to be anywhere from 10 to 25 degrees above mid-January averages, Conditions should be mostly dry, but a warm front moving through the northern Plains could bring a light wintry mix to the Dakotas and northern Minnesota late Sunday. Across the eastern U.S., temperatures are expected to rise on Sunday, especially after a bitter start to the weekend for New England, out ahead of a developing storm system. A frontal system will develop along the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday morning, sending warm and wet weather northward into New England. Periods of heavy rain will be possible tomorrow from the northern Mid-Atlantic, across southern New York and southern New England before the storm develops further and wraps colder air down into the region. A changeover to snow, some heavy, is expected for northeastern New York into Vermont and adjoining portions of New England Sunday night. Storm total accumulations of 6-12 inches are anticipated from northeastern New York into Vermont by mid-day Monday. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php