Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 240 PM EST Mon Dec 14 2015 Valid 00Z Tue Dec 15 2015 - 00Z Thu Dec 17 2015 ...Rain from the Midwest to the mid Atlantic States with wintry precipitation in Maine... ...Heavy snow for much of the Rockies and across the central and northern Plains... ...Above normal temperatures continue for the eastern U.S. early this week... The strong surface low that has been tracking across the central U.S. is now forecast to cross the Great Lakes, and then cross northern New England on Tuesday before moving offshore Tuesday night. Widespread rain is expected near the track of the low, and a band of showers and a few thunderstorms will accompany the trailing cold front across the Mid-Atlantic region, New York, and southern New England. North of the surface low track, mixed snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected for the upper peninsula of Michigan and extending eastward to northern Maine. For the western U.S., another low pressure system and cold front will be producing widespread snow for the Intermountain West and Rocky Mountains, and showers for the Desert Southwest. Numerous winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect, especially for the higher elevations. As the storm system ejects over the western High Plains, snow is forecast to develop over parts of Kansas and Nebraska Monday night, and spread northeast on Tuesday towards the Dakotas and Minnesota. After an unusually warm weekend by mid-December standards, a cold front reaching the East Coast Monday night will result in cooler temperatures for Tuesday and Wednesday. Even behind the front, temperatures are still expected to be above normal for mid-week. Tuesday's high temperatures will still be in the 70s in the southeast to the lower Mississippi Valley. Campbell/Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php