Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 300 PM EST Thu Jan 30 2020 Valid 00Z Fri Jan 31 2020 - 00Z Sun Feb 02 2020 ...The next wave of moisture from the Pacific could bring flooding rains into the Pacific Northwest... ...Showers developing along the western Gulf Coast will expand toward the Eastern Seaboard Friday evening into Saturday... After a break in the precipitation activity today, the Pacific Northwest will be in for another wave of moisture arriving from the Pacific on Friday. Rain is expected to become heavy across much of the Olympic Peninsula by Friday morning ahead of an energetic frontal system. The moisture will quickly penetrate further inland, leading to mountain snows through much of the northern Rockies on Friday. Meanwhile, the active Pacific jet stream will push the next wave of moisture toward the Pacific Northwest before the region has a chance to dry out. The low pressure system associated with this wave of moisture will appear to be more energetic than the previous one, as it will drag a rather strong cold front through the Pacific Northwest on Saturday. Expect moderate to heavy snow over the northern Cascades and periods of moderate to heavy rainfall to continue in the valleys and coastal areas. Potential exists for more than 5 inches of rain over parts of the Olympic Peninsula, and a couple of feet of snow in the higher elevations of the northern Cascades through Saturday. More mountain snows will then spread farther east into the northern Rockies on Saturday. Farther east, scattered light snow showers and mixed precipitation associated with a weak low pressure system are forecast to spread across the northern Plains on Friday, before gradually taper off over the Midwest on Saturday. Meanwhile, snow showers associated with an upper-level disturbance are expected to spread across the Great Lakes on Saturday. Further south, a subtropical jet from the eastern Pacific will head across Mexico and interact with a frontal system and moisture in the western Gulf on Friday. This will give rise to formation of a low pressure system over the northern Gulf later on Friday. Showers along the western Gulf Coast will quickly increase in coverage eastward through the rest of the Deep South and the Southeast on Friday leading to wet, dreary, and cool conditions region-wide. In addition, some thunderstorms are possible over the South Florida on Friday. The storm will reach the Southeast coast by Friday night, then be positioned east of the North Carolina Outer Banks by Saturday morning. Rain showers along the Virginia and Southeast coast will lead to a wet Saturday morning in these areas before drier conditions arrive by Saturday afternoon. Temperature-wise, aside from some a few cold spots in the Northeast and Southern Plains this morning, milder than normal conditions are expected to continue across the much of the Northern Tier in contrast with cooler than normal conditions for the Deep South under a split flow pattern. Actual temperatures could top 60 degrees in parts of the northern High Plains on Saturday! Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php