Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 458 AM EDT Tue Oct 29 2013 Valid 12Z Tue Oct 29 2013 - 12Z Thu Oct 31 2013 ...Snow showers and gusty winds continue to diminish across the Western U.S.... ...Storms with the potential for heavy rains and severe weather expected to break out across the south central U.S... ...A wintry mix of precipitation possible over the Dakotas and Upper Midwest... Another day of scattered rain and snow showers is expected across the Intermountain West on Tuesday....underneath a deep upper vortex spinning over the Central Great Basin/Rockies. A lack of moisture supply should keep totals on the light to moderate side...and conditions should gradually begin improving across the West as the vortex opens up and progresses eastward. However...a Pacific system moving onshore will bring precipitation back into the Northwest by the end of the forecast period. Across the Nation's midsection...southerly flow ahead of the deep vortex in the West will continue to bring warm and moist Gulf air over a frontal boundary stretched through the Ohio Valley...Middle Mississippi Valley...and Central Plains. Initially...the heaviest precipitation will stay focused along the boundary...but as the vortex in West edges eastward and draws increasing amounts of moisture out of the Gulf...an organized band of showers and thunderstorms should begin lighting up ahead of the associated cold front emerging out of the Central/Southern Rockies. The greatest threat for severe weather will be from North Texas into eastern Kansas. Farther north...a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain will be possible where the Gulf air will be overrunning an arctic airmass in place across the Dakotas and Upper Midwest...but precipitation should change to all rain by Wednesday evening as temperatures steadily rise across the region. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php