ZCZC NFDSPENES ALL SPENES COZ000-MTZ000-WYZ000-UTZ000-IDZ000- . SATELLITE PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES..DATE/TIME 12/22/08 1409Z SATELLITE ANALYSIS BRANCH/NESDIS---NPPU---TEL.301-763-8678 LATEST DATA USED: GOES-11 1400Z KUSSELSON . LOCATION...W AND CENTRAL COLORADO...MONTANA...WYOMING...UTAH... LOCATION...IDAHO... . ATTN WFOS...PUB...CYS...BYZ...RIW...GJT...TFX...SLC...PIH...MSO... ATTN RFCS...MBRFC...ABRFC...WGRFC...CBRFC...NWRFC... . EVENT...PACIFIC STORM FOR WEST INTERIOR... . SATELLITE ANALYSIS AND TRENDS...BIG PICTURE SHOWED HUGE RIDGE (NEAR 150W) IN EASTERN PACIFIC AND LARGE DOWNSTREAM TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO N CA. EJECTING OUT OF UPPER TROF WAS A NUMBER OF SHORT WAVES. LEAD SHORT WAVE MOVING ACROSS E UT/SW WY WAS MOISTENING UP THE ATMOSPHERE OUT AHEAD AND IN HIGHER ELEVATION FALLING PRECIP WAS REACHING THE GROUND AND IN PARTICULAR HIGH SPOTS LOCALLY HVY SNOW IN WESTERN TO CENTRAL CO ALREADY...BUT FOR THE MOST PART MOISTENING THE HIGH AND MID LEVELS FOR FRONTAL CLOUDS THAT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST. SECOND SHORT WAVE WAS MOVING ACROSS NW UT AND E IDAHO INTO SW MONTANA. WITH THIS LOWER ELEVS GETTING LIGHT PRECIP AND HIGHER SPOTS LOCALLY HVY SNOW. ADDITIONAL SHORT WAVE WITH FRONT WAS MOVING ACROSS NE NV...SW AND C IDAHO WITH PRECIP A LITTLE MORE INTENSE ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. HERE PW MOISTURE FROM MODERATE PACIFIC PLUME WAS BEING ADVECTED FROM S CA RIGHT ON INTO THIS THIRD SHORT WAVE SO PRECIP LIFT AND MOISTURE ALMOST IDEAL FOR THIS PART OF THE SYSTEM AND WILL BE MOST ACTIVE WEATHER MAKER FOR THIS STORM IN MANY PLACES...ESPECIALLY SINCE PREVIOUS SHORT WAVES HAVE PRIMED THE PUMP SO TO SPEAK ALSO FOR THIS SHORT WAVE AND ITS ASSOCIATED CLOUDS AND LIFT. ADDITIONAL BAND OF SHORT WAVE ENERGY NW NV THRU E OREGON INTO E WA WITH SHOWERY PRECIP AND THAT WILL HEAD EAST AND NE. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST MAIN UPPER VORT MOVING INTO NW OREGON COAST JUST UNDER UPPER LOW OVER WESTERN WA AND EVEN THOUGH MOISTURE QUITE LIMITED THERE WAS ENOUGH THAT SHOULD BE CARRIED WITH UPPER TROUGH TO RESULT IN SHOWERY/OCCASIONAL MDT TO HVY SHOWERS ESPECIALLY IN OROGRAPHIC AREAS THAT CAN TRY TO GET TRANSLATED EAST INTO E OREGON LATER TODAY/EVENING AND IDAHO TONIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR...SEE SATELLITE ANALYSIS GRAPHIC SHORTLY ON HOME PAGE ADDRESS BELOW... . SEE NCEP HPC DISCUSSION AND QPF/S FOR FORECAST. ....NESDIS IS A MEMBER OF 12 PLANET.... . SSD/SAB WEB ADDRESS FOR PRECIP ESTIMATES: HTTP://WWW.SSD.NOAA.GOV/PS/PCPN/ ...ALL LOWER CASE EXCEPT /PS/PCPN/ . LAT...LON 4586 10759 4395 10773 3812 10637 3986 11232 4445 11400 4517 11245 . NNNN