Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 255 PM EST Wed Mar 02 2016 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 03 2016 - 00Z Sat Mar 05 2016 ...Heavy rain over parts of the Olympic Peninsula and northern California... ...Snow for parts of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley... ...Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below average over the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley to parts of the Tennessee Valley... Snow has mostly tapered off across the Northeast today as a deep low pressure and associated cold front moved offshore. Areas downwind of the Lakes Erie and Ontario will continue to have lake effect snow this evening before diminishing during the overnight hours. Snow across Northern Maine is expected to diminish by late this afternoon. Scattered rain showers that developed over portions of the northern Mid-Atlantic will also diminish by late this afternoon. A system moving south and east from the Northern Plains with bring mixed precipitation with it as it tracks through the central/southern U.S. Showers and thunderstorms will develop over the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley by Thursday morning moving to the Central/Eastern Gulf Coast by Thursday evening. Rain will develop over parts of the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys on Thursday afternoon moving to parts of the Southeast/Southern Mid-Atlantic by Thursday evening. In addition, snow will develop over parts of the Middle Mississippi Valley/Western Ohio Valley that will move eastward to parts of the Lower Great Lakes/Northern Mid-Atlantic by Thursday evening -- accumulations of 1 to 4 inches possible. A thin strip of freezing rain will be possible for eastern North Dakota/western Minnesota and across central Iowa/Illinois -- ice accumulations up to 0.1 inch is forecast. Cold air will spill into the region behind the front, which will result in temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees below average from the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley to parts of the Tennessee Valley. A second system will cross the Rockies Thursday afternoon and spread south and east into the Northern/Central Plains by Friday. Multiple Pacific fronts will approach and pass through the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Northern Intermountain West over the next few days. Rain and higher elevation snow persist through the end of the work week. The Olympic Peninsula may see rainfall amounts up to 7 inches over the next three days. Coastal areas of northern California could see rain amounts reaching 6 inches as well. Campbell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php