Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 326 AM EST Sat Dec 31 2016 Valid 12Z Sat Dec 31 2016 - 12Z Mon Jan 02 2017 ...Heavy rain possible over parts of the Central/Eastern Gulf Coast ... ...Snow for parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Northeast... ...Snow possible for the hills of Southern California... ...Snow levels will be down to the coast over parts of the Pacific Northwest... A front extending from the Great Lakes to the Southern Plains will advance eastward off the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Coast and southward to interior Gulf Coast States by evening on New Year's Day. The system will produce snow over the Great Lakes on Saturday morning that will move to the Northeast overnight New Year's Eve and off the coast by evening on New Year's Day. Rain will develop ahead of the boundary over the Western Gulf Coast/Lower Mississippi Valley that will extend from the Ohio Valley to the Central Gulf Coast by Saturday evening. The rain will end over the Ohio Valley by New Year's Day. The rain will continue over the Central Gulf Coast to parts of the Southeast Coast by Sunday evening. In addition, showers and thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Western Gulf Coast by Saturday afternoon that will expand along the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Gulf Coast and parts of the Southeast Coast by Sunday afternoon into evening. Meanwhile, an upper-level low along the Northern California Coast will move southeastward to Northwest Mexico by evening on New Year's Day. The storm will produce rain and higher elevation snow over parts of California and the Southwest that will expand into parts of the Southern Rockies by New Year's Eve. Overnight New Year's Eve, snow will develop over the hills of Southern California. The rain and higher elevation snow will end over Southern California by evening on New Year's Day. On New Year's Day another round of rain and higher elevation snow will develop over parts of the Southwest into the Southern Rockies. Another upper-level low will develop over the Pacific Northwest overnight Saturday into Sunday evening. The system will begin to produce rain and higher elevation snow over parts of the Pacific Northwest Coast that will expand inland to parts of the Northern Rockies/High Plains and into the Great Basin/Northern California overnight Saturday into Sunday evening. As the upper-level low strengthens and expands inland, snow levels over the Pacific Northwest will lower down to sea level on Sunday. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php