Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 309 PM EDT Wed Apr 24 2013 Valid 00Z Thu Apr 25 2013 - 00Z Sat Apr 27 2013 ...A cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms to eastern U.S. into Wednesday evening... ...Light showers expected for the northern plains and Great Lakes through Thursday... ...Scattered showers and thunderstorms expected for the Gulf Coast and later the southern plains... A cold front crossing the eastern U.S. is accompanied by a band of showers and embedded thunderstorms. Severe weather is possible across portions of central Pennsylvania as the front passes through the region this afternoon. Severe weather is not expected along the remainder of the front but gusty winds and brief periods of heavy rain are expected with the frontal passage. A large portion of the U.S. will see dry weather through the period as high pressure builds across the western U.S. and central plains. A few weak systems will pass through southern Canada and Great Lakes region through Thursday. Some light shower activity is expected with these systems across the northern plains and into the Great Lakes. The cold front pushing through the Eastern U.S. will eventually settle in the Gulf of Mexico by tomorrow. This boundary will be the focus for scattered showers and thunderstorms along the Texas/Louisiana gulf coast and northern Florida before dissipating late Thursday. Later in the period return flow off the Gulf of Mexico will increase moisture across the southern plains, sparking a large area of scattered thunderstorms in the region. Krekeler Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php