Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 255 PM EST Thu Jan 03 2019 Valid 00Z Fri Jan 04 2019 - 00Z Sun Jan 06 2019 ...There is a slight risk of excessive rain over Central Gulf Coast... ...Heavy rain possible over parts of the Southern Appalachians/Northern Arkansas and parts of the Pacific Northwest Coast... ...Heavy possible over parts of the Northern Cascades/Olympic Peninsula and the Sierras... An upper-level low over the Southern Plains will move northeastward to the Mid-Atlantic by Saturday. The storm will produce snow with pockets of rain/freezing rain over parts of Oklahoma that will end overnight Thursday. Rain with embedded thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley that will eastward to the Southeast by Friday afternoon. In addition, rain will develop over parts of the Tennessee Valley/Eastern Gulf Coast eastward into parts of the Southern Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast that will end over the Southern Mid-Atlantic overnight Friday while continuing over parts of the Central Appalachian and the Northern Mid-Atlantic into Saturday. On Friday afternoon, showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of the associated front over parts of the Southeast and Southern Mid-Atlantic that will move off the coast by early Saturday morning. Additionally, an area of upper-level energy over the Upper Great Lakes will move off the New England Coast by Friday afternoon. The energy will aid in developing light snow over parts of the Upper Great Lake that will end overnight Thursday. Light snow will also develop over parts of Northern Maine late Thursday night ending by Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, an area of weakening upper-level energy just off the Northwest Coast will move inland to Western Ontario by Saturday morning. A second area of upper-level energy will move onshore over California on Saturday morning into afternoon. The system will produce rain and higher elevation snow over parts of the Pacific Northwest with snow extending into part of the Northern Rockies that will wane overnight Friday. As the second area of upper-level energy moves onshore, rain and higher elevation snow will move into California on Saturday morning into evening. Likewise, rain and higher elevation snow will return to the Northwest on Saturday. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php