Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 250 PM EDT Sun Mar 15 2015 Valid 00Z Mon Mar 16 2015 - 00Z Wed Mar 18 2015 ***Snow tapering off for northern New England tonight*** ***Dry weather for the southern and eastern U.S. to start the week*** ***Cooler weather to arrive across the Midwest by Tuesday*** ***Unsettled weather to affect the Northwest U.S.*** A deepening area of low pressure over the Gulf of Maine will continue to foster an area of heavy snow across portions northern New England, and especially Maine, through this evening. However, the low center should pull away overnight which will allow the snow to taper off, and it be cold and breezy in the wake of the system. Snowfall amounts in excess of 1 foot are expected at least locally. High pressure will promote dry and seasonably mild conditions to start the new week across the remainder of the eastern U.S. and stretching across much of the South. Much above normal temperatures meanwhile will continue across much of the central Plains and Midwest at least through Monday. However, a cold front settling south from Canada will drop into these areas by Tuesday, and a return to much colder temperatures is expected to be the result. For the western U.S., a series of weak disturbances aloft and a surface cold front slowly moving across the West Coast states and the Great Basin will generate an area of rain for mainly the Pacific Northeast through Monday. Some higher elevation snowfall is expected for the northern Washington Cascades and the Bitterroots of Montana, but overall there is not expected to be that much coverage of accumulating snow across the West over the next few days. The remainder of the country should be dry, with the exception of southern Texas, where moisture associated with an inverted trough from the western Gulf of Mexico will lead to an area of showers Monday and Tuesday for mainly the Rio Grande Valley. Orrison Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php