Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 320 PM EDT Wed Mar 16 2016 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 17 2016 - 00Z Sat Mar 19 2016 ...Storm winds down over Upper Midwest... ...Colder air is expected to return to much of central and eastern US... ...Mountain snows continue across the Rockies while rain and thunderstorms develop across the Gulf Coast and Southeast... A late winter pattern is setting up as the Midwest storm begins to weaken while several upper level disturbances move southeastward across the Rockies, producing some significant snowfall over the next several days. Colder air will move southward across the Rockies into the Plains states while a separate area of colder air makes its way southward from central and eastern Canada across the Northeast corner of the nation. An area of rain,showers and thunderstorms will develop along the Gulf Coast and spread into the Southeast United States on Friday into Saturday. The storm system currently over the Upper Midwest will weaken over the next 36 hours and slide eastward along the US Canadian border before putting down several additional inches of snow across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin and later across northern New England on Thursday. As this storm weakens, colder air will continue to drift south and eastward across much of the central and eastern United States, while a developing cold front over eastern Canada Thursday night and Friday will sweep south and eastward across the Ohio Valley and Northeast United States with some late season cold air across northern New England by Friday night. As a large blocking pattern forms over southern Canada over the next couple days, upper level disturbances will be forced to move southeastward around the block over the Rocky Mountains, generating mountain snows from Idaho/western Montana southeastward into Colorado, where even the plains east of the mountains could also see significant snow, including Denver. As these disturbances move southeastward, showers and thunderstorms will also develop along the leading edge of the cooler air spreading across much of the central and eastern United States. Some locally heavy rainfall is possible, especially along the Gulf Coast as low pressure may develop along the front later on Friday night into early Saturday. Rain will also spread eastward across the Southeast by Saturday morning. Kocin Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php