Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 258 AM EST Thu Feb 28 2019 Valid 12Z Thu Feb 28 2019 - 12Z Sat Mar 02 2019 ...Lighter precipitation expected to continue in the West before ramping up again on Saturday... ...Another swath of light to moderate snow expected across the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and Northeast... ...Showers and thunderstorms forecast for the southeastern U.S., with frozen precipitation possible on the northern side... ...Much below average temperatures will continue for the foreseeable future in the Northern Plains... Through the end of the workweek, an upper-level low will spin near the Pacific Northwest, which will help keep precipitation falling in the western U.S., albeit lighter than earlier this week. Nevertheless, the Sierra Nevada could see an additional 8 to 12 inches of snow, and the Wasatch and central Rockies can expect over a foot of snow. In the Pacific Northwest, the lower elevation cities of Seattle and Portland could see a little snow today before drying out for the weekend. The aforementioned upper low will send energy eastward beginning on Thursday night through the Northern Plains and east. Some light to moderate snow is expected with this feature from the Northern Plains to the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes on Friday, then into the Northeast by Saturday morning. Generally 1 to 4 inches of snow is expected. Another low will approach the West by Friday night, leading to potentially locally heavy rain by Saturday in California. A frontal boundary will linger from Texas through the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast throughout the period, and scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue there. Rainfall amounts will generally be less than an inch, but localized flooding could be possible particularly over areas that have been exceptionally wet over the past couple of weeks. Light accumulating freezing rain is possible on Thursday morning on the northern edge of the precipitation in portions of the Southern Plains and Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for this threat. By Thursday night, mixed precipitation is forecast to develop across the Central Appalachians and northern Mid-Atlantic region, and snow is possible for southern parts of the Northeast on Friday. Below normal temperatures will prevail across the Northern/Central Plains and Upper Midwest through the end of the week (and beyond). On Thursday, high temperatures of 15 to 30 degrees below average are expected for much of the Plains and into the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley. Temperatures of 20 to 40 below average are forecast for the Northern Plains on Friday and Saturday morning after another cold front passes through. Meanwhile, highs in the 70s are expected for the Southwest and the Southeast. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php