Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 234 AM EST Wed Dec 12 2018 Valid 12Z Wed Dec 12 2018 - 12Z Fri Dec 14 2018 ...Heavy rain and mountain snow expected for the northwestern U.S. and strong storm system developing over the Gulf Coast region... An active weather pattern will remain in place across the Pacific Northwest through the end of the week, with a relatively strong Pacific cold front affecting the region Wednesday night and into Thursday, and another system approaching by the end of the week. This will result in widespread moderate to heavy rain and mountain snows inland across Washington and Oregon. Moisture is spreading inland across the northern Great Basin and the northern Rockies with the disturbance currently crossing the Intermountain West. The higher elevations of the northern Cascades may see snowfall accumulations up to two feet, and 6 to 18 inches possible for portions of the northern Rockies. Surface cyclogenesis over the western High Plains Wednesday night in response to a significant upper level disturbance tracking southeastward out of the Rockies will lead to the next big storm system across the central and then eastern U.S. The surface low becomes well organized by Thursday afternoon across the ArkLaTex region with an anomalous upper level low present. Widespread moderate to heavy rain is expected to develop from northeast Texas to Illinois, and another area of numerous showers and thunderstorms across the central Gulf Coast region, with the potential for 1 to 3 inches of rain for some areas and isolated instances of flooding may be possible. Some strong thunderstorms are also expected in the warm sector of this low from southeast Texas to the Florida Panhandle, and strong winds are expected across the western High Plains owing to the strong pressure gradient that develops to the northwest of the surface low. There may even be accumulating snow across parts of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma Thursday night. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php