Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 259 PM EST Wed Mar 07 2018 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 08 2018 - 00Z Sat Mar 10 2018 ...A nor'easter will continue to spread snow into the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast... ...An active pattern in the West will result in rain and snow... A strengthening nor'easter will continue to parallel the Northeast U.S. coast on Wednesday night and Thursday, and then move westward into Maine by Friday. As it moves, snow will occur north and west of the low. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in place from eastern Pennsylvania through the Northeast. The heaviest snow is expected to occur in Maine, where over 18 inches of snow is possible through the end of the workweek as the surface low lingers. The major cities of New York City and Boston are on the gradient in between substantial snowfall totals and lighter snowfall totals, so there is uncertainty in how much snow will fall. See your local forecast on www.weather.gov, and our snowfall probabilities on our Interactive Winter Weather Map to see the range of possibilities. Farther west, the Great Lakes region and the Central Appalachians will also see snowfall. 6 to 8 inches of snow is possible for portions of those areas. In the western U.S., multiple surface and upper-level low pressure systems will lead to precipitation. Rain will spread into the Pacific Northwest and northern California Wednesday evening and snow will spread into the higher elevations of the Cascades and Intermountain West on Wednesday night. Through Friday, over a foot of snow is possible in the northern Cascades, and 8 to 12 inches of snow are possible in portions of the Northern Rockies. Rainfall totals in the lower elevations will be generally light, with about an inch or so of rain expected. Temperature-wise, the eastern half of the U.S. will be cooler than average on Thursday and Friday. High temperatures in the Central Appalachians are forecast to be up to 20 degrees below average on Thursday, supporting the chances of snow there. Freeze warnings are in place for portions of the Southeast. From the Southwest into the Southern and Central High Plains, warmer than normal temperatures are expected. On Friday, high temperatures over the Central High Plains will be around 15 degrees above average. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php