Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 157 PM EST Wed Dec 30 2015 Valid 00Z Thu Dec 31 2015 - 00Z Sat Jan 02 2016 ...Flooding/Flash Flooding Will Continue For Parts Of The Southeast And Central Gulf Coast... ...Dry And Very Cold Out West... One of the big weather stories recently has been the heavy rain which fell over eastern Texas into the Ohio Valley, and across the Deep South and southern Appalachians over the past 7 days. These rains have sent many rivers and streams into flood stage, and as of this morning, the bulk of the worst flooding extended throughout the Southeast and along the Middle Mississippi and Lower Ohio Valleys. The good news is that the Ohio Valley and Mid-Upper Mississippi Valley will be mostly dry over the next few days, but heavy rainfall remains likely near a slow moving cold front currently extending from the Mid-Atlantic coast to the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Atypical warmth and moisture present in the Southeast U.S., at least for late December, will continue to promote a threat for heavy rain into tonight from the central Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. The high dewpoint air will begin to sag south and east over the next 24 to 36 hours ahead of a slow moving cold front. Therefore, while portions of the saturated soils from northwestern Georgia into the Piedmont of North and South Carolina will see an end to heavy rain by Thursday afternoon, a flood/flash flood threat will continue for sections of the central Gulf Coast through Friday. Elsewhere, temperatures across the Northeast will cool significantly from recent warmth by Friday, but values will only be near climatology. The cooler temperatures will allow lake effect snow showers to develop with the heaviest snowfall expected to be localized and extend east of Lake Ontario into the Tug Hill Plateau where up to a foot of snow is expected by Saturday evening. Lighter snowfall accumulations will be found south and east of the remaining Great Lakes. Across the western U.S., a break from recent active weather due to a blocking pattern will keep the region quiet for the next several days. While temperatures are forecast to stay 10-20 degrees below late December normals, little, if any, precipitation is forecast through the weekend along and west of the Rockies. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php