Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 355 PM EST Wed Feb 04 2015 Valid 00Z Thu Feb 05 2015 - 00Z Sat Feb 07 2015 ...Heavy rains anticipated for the Pacific Northwest... ...Gulf Coast to get stormy weather over the next few days... A very active pattern is expected for the Pacific Northwest as multiple frontal boundaries approach the coast. These boundaries, along with bountiful moisture from an atmospheric river, will yield moderate to heavy rains and higher elevation snow that will impact this region through Friday. By Thursday morning, rain will begin to increase as the first boundary moves eastward toward the coast. By Thursday night, the rainfall activity will dwindle slightly, however northern California/southern Oregon will likely continue receiving heavy rains overnight and through Friday. By Friday, showers and snow will fall across the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Rockies. A frontal boundary moving northeastward across the Gulf Coast is bringing light to moderate rain throughout the Gulf Coast region. By Wednesday night and into Thursday, the heavier rainfall will shift west to east and arrive in northern Florida and the Southeast Atlantic coast. As a cold front pushes southward toward central Florida on Thursday morning, moderate rain will spread over much of the state. Precipitation will decrease by Thursday night as the cold front treks eastward in the Atlantic. Extreme temperature swings are not expected through the short term period. Slightly warmer temperatures can be expected for the western half of the U.S. As the cold front moving across the Ohio Valley and southern Plains continues toward the East Coast, cooler temperatures behind it can be expected. Fanning Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php