Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 353 AM EST Sat Feb 07 2015 Valid 12Z Sat Feb 07 2015 - 12Z Mon Feb 09 2015 ...Heavy rain will continue to soak northern California and the Pacific Northwest... ...Snow expected for New England... ...A mild weekend is in store for the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley... Widespread heavy rain will continue to soak northern California and the Pacific Northwest on Saturday as a plume of Pacific moisture streams onshore and pieces of energy ripple through the flow aloft. Orographic effects will really boost amounts over the upslope side of the terrain...and enough moisture should spread inland to fuel precipitation over the northern Rockies as well. Just as activity in the West settles down a bit...a Pacific front approaching the coast will bring another surge of moisture and round of heavy rain into northern California on Sunday. Above normal temperatures across the region will keep snowfall accumulations confined to the higher peaks of the terrain. An axis snow will set up to the north of a wavy frontal boundary stretched through the Upper Midwest...Great Lakes...and New England this weekend. Limited moisture should keep snow accumulations on the lighter side; however...energy aloft will help enhance snowfall rates as it slides through southern Canada on Saturday and into New England on Sunday. Also...a zone of sleet and freezing rain will be possible to south of the snow axis...where warmer air will be moving in over an Arctic airmass. To the south of the wavy frontal boundary...above normal temperatures will make for a mild weekend across much of the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php