Extended Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1107 PM EDT Mon Mar 11 2019 Valid 12Z Fri Mar 15 2019 - 12Z Tue Mar 19 2019 ...Overview and Guidance Assessment/Preferences... Upper ridging over the Canadian Rockies will favor broad troughing over the eastern half of the lower 48 this weekend into early next week with a dry northwesterly flow after a cold front exits off the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic coast Friday. That front will settle into the Florida Straits and maintain a daily chance of rain for the Sunshine State as well as south Texas. The Pacific Northwest will likely stay dry until about next Tuesday when a system may attempt to move closer to the coast. Latest GFS/ECMWF offer good clustering through the period with expected differences in the swift NW flow out of Canada. A consensus position was best given the run-to-run shifts in weak shortwave timing. ...Weather Highlights and Hazards... As the system exits through Ontario and Quebec on Friday the rain will push off the coast except for Florida where the front will slow down on Sat/Sun. Northerly to northwesterly flow across the largely frozen Great Lakes will produce some lake-enhanced snow (minimal moisture flux through the ice). Cooler temperatures (5-15 degrees below average) will shift eastward out of the west and focus on the central states this weekend into next Mon/Tue. The West Coast will see temperatures rise to about 5-10 degrees above average. Fracasso Additional 3-7 Day Hazards information can be found on the WPC medium range hazards chart at: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/threats/threats.php WPC medium range 500mb heights, surface systems, weather grids, quantitative precipitation, winter weather outlook probabilities and heat indices are at: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/5dayfcst500_wbg.gif https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/5dayfcst_wbg_conus.gif https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/5km_grids/5km_gridsbody.html https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/day4-7.shtml https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/pwpf_d47/pwpf_medr.php?day=4 https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index.shtml