Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 304 PM EST Sat Dec 05 2015 Valid 00Z Sun Dec 06 2015 - 00Z Tue Dec 08 2015 ...Heavy rain possible for portions of the coastal Pacific Northwest... ...Heavy snow expected for portions of the Cascades... ...Above average temperatures expected for most of the contiguous U.S... A series of Pacific storm systems will move into the northwestern U.S. in rapid succession over the next few days, bringing rain to coastal areas, and snow to the Cascades and portions of the northern Intermountain States. The first of these storm systems will move onshore early Sunday morning, with rain and snow spreading inland well ahead of the system. This system will weaken on Sunday as it moves into the northern Intermountain States. By late Sunday, another Pacific system will already be spreading more precipitation into the coastal Northwest, which will spread inland through Monday. By late Monday, yet another low pressure system will move onshore, bringing more precipitation to the region. Heavy rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are possible for some areas along the coast over the next couple days. In the Cascades, very heavy snowfall amounts of 1 to 3 feet are expected through the next couple days. Farther inland, 6 to 12 inches of snow, are forecast across portions of the northern Intermountain West, with the highest elevations receiving in excess of 1 foot. A weak cold front will move across the central U.S. tonight into Sunday. The system will be starved for moisture, and is only expected to produce scattered light showers for portions of the Mid-Mississippi valley and Upper Midwest tonight. Some areas of light freezing rain or freezing drizzle are possible Sunday morning across Wisconsin. A stationary frontal boundary just south of the Florida Keys will keep scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast through Monday for South Florida. On Monday, an area of low pressure is forecast to develop off the coast of the Carolinas, bringing showers to the Outer Banks and coastal portions of the Mid-Atlantic. Temperatures will be above average for most of the contiguous U.S. through the next couple days. The largest temperature anomalies will be from the northern plains, across the Great Lakes, and into the Northeast, where afternoon high temperatures on Sunday are forecast to be 10 to 20 degrees above average. Ryan Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php