Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 300 PM EST Wed Jan 03 2024 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 04 2024 - 00Z Sat Jan 06 2024 ...Light snow over the higher elevation over the West... ...Snow for Central/Southern Plains on Friday... ...Lake-enhanced and lake-effect snow downwind from the Great Lakes and upslope snow for the Central Appalachians through late Thursday afternoon... On Wednesday evening, an upper-level low over the Great Basin/Southwest will move eastward to the Central/Southern Plains by Friday evening. The upper-level low and associated upper-level trough will produce rain and higher-elevation snow from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California and the Great Basin/Southwest. The rain and snow will end over California by Thursday morning. On Thursday, snow will extend from the Northern Intermountain Region to the Great Basin and Central Rockies. In contrast, snow and lower-elevation rain will extend over the Southwest and Southern Rockies. Also, on Thursday, a front will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest and slowly dissipate by Friday morning. The system will produce rain and higher-elevation snow over the Northwest. On Friday, the associated upper-level energy will create light snow over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region and Great Basin. Another front will be poised to move onshore over the Northwest overnight Friday. Therefore, the rain and higher-elevation snow will continue into Friday evening. Meanwhile, the upper-level low will induce an area of low pressure over the Western Gulf Coast overnight Thursday, moving to the Central Gulf Coast by Friday evening. On Thursday evening, light snow continues to move eastward over the Central/Southern Rockies. Overnight Thursday, rain with embedded thunderstorms will develop over the Southern Plains, while snow will develop over parts of the Central/Southern High Plains. On Friday, the light snow will expand into parts of the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley while showers and thunderstorms develop over parts of the Central Gulf Coast. Moreover, a front extending from the Lower Great Lakes into the Middle Mississippi Valley will move to the Northeast Coast by Thursday evening. The lake-effect/lake-enhanced snow associated with the front develops over the Upper Great Lakes and the Lower Great Lakes, with upslope snow developing over parts of the Central Appalachians and Northern New England that will end by late Thursday afternoon. Furthermore, on Wednesday evening, low pressure over the Eastern Gulf Coast moves northeastward out over the Western Atlantic by Thursday morning. The storm will produce light rain over parts of the Eastern Gulf Coast/Southeast, expanding into the Southern Mid-Atlantic overnight Wednesday and moving off the Mid-Atlantic Coast by Thursday afternoon. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php