Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 355 AM EDT Fri Oct 18 2019 Valid 12Z Fri Oct 18 2019 - 12Z Sun Oct 20 2019 ...Heavy snow for parts of the West and attention turns to the Tropics for the Southeast states... Weather conditions will start becoming more tranquil across the northeastern U.S. beginning today after the powerful low pressure system passed through the region Thursday morning. There may be a few lingering showers across parts of New England on Friday, followed by clearing and lighter winds by the weekend as surface high pressure builds in across the region. The tropics are making headlines again across the Gulf Coast region with the recent development of Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen across the central Gulf of Mexico. This is forecast to become a tropical storm before making landfall near the Florida Panhandle on Saturday morning. From there it is expected to accelerate in forward motion and then become post tropical as it crosses the Southeast U.S. through Saturday night. Heavy rainfall is expected from northern Florida to eastern North Carolina as a result, with localized amounts approaching three inches with a Marginal Risk of flash flooding. Elsewhere across the continental U.S., a series of Pacific fronts crossing the Rockies and Intermountain West is expected to lead to locally heavy snow for the higher mountain ranges from the Cascades to the Colorado Rockies, with up to two feet possible for parts of the Cascades and the western Wyoming ranges. Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected from northwestern California to western Washington as a steady flow of moisture from the Pacific keeps numerous showers in place. D. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php