Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 359 PM EDT Sun Mar 11 2018 Valid 00Z Mon Mar 12 2018 - 00Z Wed Mar 14 2018 ...Storm system over the southern U.S. will move offshore and intensify as it tracks parallel to the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Coast... ...Heavy snow likely for portions of the Great Lakes and from the southern Mid-Atlantic states to Maine... ...Scattered to Widespread rain and mountain snow from the California/Northwest to portions of the Intermountain West and Great Basin... Showers and thunderstorms across the Southeast and southern Mid-Atlantic/Appalachians are forecast as a sprawling cold front moves south and east. A wave will develop along this boundary and will quickly strengthen as the front moves offshore the East Coast. The central low with this system will track northeast, paralleling the coastline toward the Canadian Maritimes. Snow, likely heavy at times, will spread across much of the Northeast and portions of the northern Mid-Atlantic states. Snow will extend west over the Great Lakes. If the nor'easter tracks closer to the coast, then high winds and coastal flooding will be an issue. The central U.S. will largely be mild and dry over the next few days under a broad area of high pressure. The West will be increasingly wet and unsettled as a front approaches and moves inland. Rain will largely be focused over portions of northern and central California, with some locations averaging 2 to 4 inches through Tuesday morning... with isolated amounts exceeding 4 inches possible. Snow is expected across areas of higher terrain, with heavy snow accumulations forecast for portions of the Sierras and the Central/Southern Rockies. Campbell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php