Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 249 AM EDT Sat Sep 24 2016 Valid 12Z Sat Sep 24 2016 - 12Z Mon Sep 26 2016 ...Strong storm system affects the northern plains and Upper Midwest... ...High quality airmass for the eastern U.S. this weekend... ...Heavy rainfall expected across Texas... A strong surface low crossing the northern plains on Saturday will result in unsettled weather from the northern Rockies to the Dakotas. Accumulating snow is expected for the higher mountain ranges from northern Utah to Montana through Saturday night. Moderate to heavy rainfall is likely from eastern Wyoming to western North Dakota as the surface low lifts slowly to the northeast. Breezy conditions can also be expected. Much cooler temperatures will follow behind the cold front that pushes eastward across the Great Plains. Refreshing changes in the weather pattern are also in the forecast for much of the eastern U.S. this weekend. A large surface high over southeast Canada will push a cold front across the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region by Saturday, bringing cooler and much drier conditions with a fall-like feeling in the air. However, this front is not expected to reach the Deep South and Gulf Coast region, where the heat and humidity is expected to continue through the short range period. For the state of Texas, a heavy rainfall event is forecast to materialize across central and western portions of the state by Sunday as a slow moving front intercepts a rich flow of moisture surging north from the western Gulf of Mexico. An upper level low to the west will help provide lift in addition to the front to generate widespread rainfall. Several inches of rain will be possible for some areas. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php