Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 227 AM EST Fri Feb 05 2016 Valid 12Z Fri Feb 05 2016 - 12Z Sun Feb 07 2016 ...Heavy snow possible today for portions of the Northeast... ...Heavy rain and mountain snow possible for the Pacific Northwest... ...Above average temperatures expected for the northern plains... Low pressure along a frontal boundary off the East Coast will move northeastward, generally paralleling the coast today. This system will bring rain, changing to snow, to portions of the Mid-Atlantic through this morning, and across the Northeast into this afternoon. Portions of Long Island and southern New England will see the potential for heavy snowfall, with accumulations of 4 to 8 inches possible. Snowfall from this system will potentially make the morning commute difficult for some areas, as roads may become snow covered and slippery. A Pacific cold front will approach the Northwest today, spreading rain and mountain snow into the region. Rain and snow will continue into tonight, before winding down on Saturday as the front quickly moves inland. This system will produce locally heavy rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches, with snowfall amounts up to 9 inches in the Washington Cascades. The northern plains and Upper Great Lakes will see a couple rounds of potential precipitation over the next couple days. A low pressure system will move east across the Upper Midwest today, bringing snow showers to the region, and moving into the upper Great Lakes tonight. By Saturday afternoon, the frontal system that will affect the Pacific Northwest today will be crossing the northern Rockies and moving into the northern plains. This system will bring a scattered mix of precipitation types to the northern plains on Saturday, with precipitation changing to mostly snow Saturday night across the Upper Midwest. In spite of these precipitation producing systems, temperatures will generally be above average today and Saturday across the northern plains. Afternoon high temperatures in this area are forecast to be 10 to 20 degrees above average. A wave of low pressure is forecast to develop along a stationary frontal boundary over the Bahamas on Saturday, which is then forecast to move northeastward into Sunday. This system will bring showers to portions of the Southeast U.S. coastline Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php