Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 352 AM EST Wed Dec 02 2015 Valid 12Z Wed Dec 02 2015 - 12Z Fri Dec 04 2015 ...Locally heavy rains across portions of the Southeast, southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic states... ...Rain changing to snow across portions of northern New England on Thursday... ...Precipitation returning to the northwestern U.S. today... Precipitation will taper off from west to east today across the Upper Midwest as the system weakens and drifts east through the upper Great Lakes region. Southwest winds will transport warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico through the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and into the Northeast ahead of the advancing cold front. Widespread rain is forecast for a vast portion of the East today and into Thursday. Periods of locally heavy rain will possible, particularly near and ahead of a surface low that is forecast to develop along the front and track northeast from near the southern Appalachians early this morning to the New England coast by early Thursday. Flash flooding may be possible for southern and central portions of the Appalachians - additional information can be found in the Excessive Rainfall Outlooks issued by WPC. The rain is expected to transition to snow in the wake of the cold frontal passage and locally heavy accumulations may occur for portions of northern New England. High pressure will keep conditions generally mild and dry over the next few days over much of the Central/Southern U.S. However, this will not be the case for the Northwestern states. Numerous Winter Storm Advisories, Ice Storm Warnings and High Wind Watches are in effect from northern California to north-central Washington. A robust system will make landfall by late evening and move inland on Thursday. Locally heavy precipitation will likely occur along the coastal ranges of Washington, Oregon and northern California. Snow will spread into the Northern Rockies by Thursday and into portions of the Central Rockies and Great Basin by early Friday. Multi-day snow accumulations, particularly for the Cascades, could potentially equate to around 1 to 2 feet. Amounts of 2 to 6 inches will be common for lower elevations across the region. Campbell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php