Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 353 AM EST Fri Dec 11 2015 Valid 12Z Fri Dec 11 2015 - 12Z Sun Dec 13 2015 ...Heavy rain possible over the Pacific Northwest to Northern California... ...Heavy rain over parts of the Southern Plains/Lower Mississippi Valley... ...Heavy snow for the Cascades and parts of the Northern Intermountain Region... A storm over the Central Plains/Rockies will slowly move out of the Rockies on Saturday morning while a quasi-stationary front develops from the Central Plains to Southern New England by Saturday evening. Upper-level energy and onshore flow will aid in producing rain along the West Coast on Friday into Saturday morning before tapering off for a short time on Saturday afternoon before the next system. Snow will develop over the higher elevations over the West Coast over the Northern Intermountain Region/Northern Rockies into the Central Rockies through Saturday. Light snow will develop over parts of the Northern Plains into parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley Friday morning into early Saturday morning. A head of the storm, low pressure over the Upper Great Lakes will race northeastward into eastern Canada by Saturday dragging a front eastward from the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley across New England. The system will produce rain over parts of the Upper Great Lakes on Friday morning into the afternoon. As the Central Plains/Rockies storm moves onto the Plains, moisture form the Gulf of Mexico will overrun the east-west boundary over the Central Plains to the Ohio Valley/Great Lakes producing rain over parts of the Ohio Valley on Friday evening expanding eastward into parts of New England by Saturday. Additionally, moisture rich air will start moving northward over the Southern/Central Plains Saturday morning and extending into parts of the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley by Saturday evening. The moisture will aid in producing showers and thunderstorms over parts of the Southern/Central Plains and the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley on Friday. Rain will also develop over parts of the Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes on Saturday. In addition on Friday, a new front over the Pacific will approach the Pacific Northwest bringing more rain and higher elevation snow to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California as well into parts of the Northern Intermountain Region. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php