Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 327 PM EST Thu Jan 14 2016 Valid 00Z Fri Jan 15 2016 - 00Z Sun Jan 17 2016 ...Snow showers expected to continue from the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes with very cold air arriving by Saturday... ...Heavy rainfall likely for portions of the Southeast and Carolina coasts Friday into Friday night... ...Rain and mountain snow expected to impact the Northwestern U.S. through the weekend... An area of low pressure in the Northern Plains this afternoon will move across the Upper Midwest tonight and into the Upper Great Lakes by Friday afternoon. This will allow for some light snow to the north of the low from northern Minnesota to northern portions of Lower Michigan. As the low pushes into southeast Canada early Saturday, westerly to northwesterly winds on the backside may aid in some lake effect snow showers downwind of lakes Superior and Michigan. Generally only a couple of inches of snow is expected, except along the shores of Lake Superior where 6 to 12 inches may be possible Friday and Saturday as the low passes south of the lake on Friday. The cold front associated with this low will drop through the Central U.S. ushering in very cold arctic air and temperatures as much as 10 to 25 degrees below normal. A developing surface low in the western Gulf of Mexico will track northeastward tonight, reaching the Florida panhandle by Friday. Rain and thunderstorms associated with this system will continue across the central and eastern Gulf Coast states tonight, moving into the Southeastern states by Friday morning. 1 to 2 inches of rain may be possible Friday from the Central Gulf Coast to the Southeast and Carolina coastlines. The low will move through the Southeast on Friday and quickly intensify as it passes just offshore the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts Friday into Saturday. Depending on how close to land the low actually tracks, up to 1.5 inches of rain could be possible across the eastern Mid-Atlantic through Saturday. Rain and snow will also spread into the Northeastern states Friday into Saturday associated with both this system and the low behind it moving across southeast Canada. Meanwhile, a system moving into the Northwest this evening will allow for coastal rain and higher elevation snows to continue tonight, with snow moving into the Intermountain West and the Rockies by Friday. A second system behind this one will bring another round of rain and mountain snow to these areas Friday into Saturday. Between these two systems, rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches can be expected along the Northwest coast, with up to a foot or more of snow in the highest elevations of the Cascades, Sierras, and Intermountain West/Central Rockies. Santorelli Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php