Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 318 PM EDT Thu Apr 23 2015 Valid 00Z Fri Apr 24 2015 - 00Z Sun Apr 26 2015 ...Wet, Unsettled Pattern for the United States... The polar jet stream will remain south of its normal position for the last week of April into the weekend, bringing wet, cool conditions to much of the nation. Rain showers are anticipated in the valleys and lower elevations of the West, with snow in the mountains. The heaviest snowfall should affect the Washington Cascades. East of the Rockies, two systems will set the weather tone. The first is a cold pool of air swirling near Nova Scotia. This vortex is expected to keep chilly weather banked across much of the East, with rain and snow showers over the Northeast. The second system will organize over the southern Great Plains and track eastward to the Tennessee River valley by Saturday evening. This area of low pressure will draw significant amounts of moisture into its circulation from the Gulf of Mexico, fueling widespread heavy rain showers and thunderstorms from the Arklatex to the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys. Cisco Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php