Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 255 PM EST Wed Dec 21 2016 Valid 00Z Thu Dec 22 2016 - 00Z Sat Dec 24 2016 ...Snow possible from parts of the Northern Plains to Northern New England... A fast moving storm system across the northern tier of the nation will likely bring a round of snowfall from the northern Plains to New England through Thursday afternoon. A trailing cold front from this surface low will track southeastward towards the East Coast by Thursday night. Given the paucity of moisture ahead of this boundary, there will not be much in the way of rain associated it. The air mass coming in behind the front will not be as cold as the one this past weekend. For the Desert Southwest and southern Rockies, an upper level low approaching from the eastern Pacific will enhance moisture over the region and lead to increased chances for rainfall and high mountain snow by Thursday morning. Some of this moisture will reach the southern and central Plains by Friday. A few areas of heavy rainfall will be possible across parts of Arizona and New Mexico on Thursday. By the end of the week, another cold front working its way inland across the Pacific Northwest will lead to another round of rainfall from California to Washington, and heavy snow in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php