Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 256 AM EST Thu Feb 02 2017 Valid 12Z Thu Feb 02 2017 - 12Z Sat Feb 04 2017 ...Heavy snow possible for the Sierras... ...Heavy rain possible for Northern California Coast... ...Lake effect snow downwind from the Great Lakes... A front extending from the Southeast to the Southern Plains will slowly move southward into the Gulf of Mexico by Friday evening while a portion of the boundary lingers over parts of Florida. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will pool along the boundary aiding in the development of rain from parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southern Appalachians. The rain will slowly move to the Western/Central Gulf Coast by Friday into Saturday. In addition, the rain will move eastward from the Southern Appalachians to the Southeast/Southern Mid-Atlantic by Friday morning and off the Southeast Coast by Friday evening. Furthermore, upper-level energy moving over the Great Lakes will aid in producing lake effect snow downwind from the Great Lakes through Friday. Meanwhile, upper-level jet dynamics will aid in producing snow over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region to parts of the Central High Plains through Friday morning. Also, an upper-level low over the Eastern Pacific will slowly weaken and move onshore over the Pacific Northwest by Friday evening. The system will bring a plume of moisture into the Central California Coast and into parts of the Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php