Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 348 AM EDT Sat Oct 21 2017 Valid 12Z Sat Oct 21 2017 - 12Z Mon Oct 23 2017 ...Unsettled for the northwestern U.S. and pleasant for the East Coast states through Sunday... Heavy rain and high elevation snow will be the main weather story across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies this weekend as a strong low pressure system tracks eastward across the region. This atmospheric river will likely result in several inches of rainfall across parts of western Oregon and Washington, with some locations getting in excess of five inches. Snow will be heavy for the higher mountain ranges of the northern Rockies, and also for the northern Cascades. The cold front currently tracking across the central and northern Plains is expected to reach the Great Lakes region and Mississippi River by Sunday evening in association with an amplified upper level trough. Severe thunderstorms will likely develop from northern Texas to Iowa ahead of the front on Saturday, and the Storm Prediction Center has additional details on this threat. With a wave of low pressure developing along this front over the lower Mississippi River valley, moisture inflow from the Gulf of Mexico will be enhanced and this could lead to areas of heavy rainfall from eastern Oklahoma to Mississippi. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., expect mild to warm weather to continue across the east with widespread 70s for highs this weekend before cooler conditions arrive next week. Fire weather concerns will continue across parts of California over the next few days with very dry conditions and gusty winds expected. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php