Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 354 AM EDT Fri Mar 29 2019 Valid 12Z Fri Mar 29 2019 - 12Z Sun Mar 31 2019 ...Snow is expected for the Rockies into the Central High Plains on Friday... ...Rain and thunderstorms are forecast across the central/eastern U.S. through the end of the week... ...A cold front will bring cooler than average temperatures to the Rockies and Plains, with warm temperatures in the East... On Friday, a cold upper-level trough will move through the Intermountain West, causing precipitation mainly in the form of snow across the Northern and Central Rockies, with rain showers in lower elevations of the Intermountain West. Snow totals of 6 to 10 inches are possible in parts of Wyoming, with 2 to 6 inches of snow forecast for the Central Rockies. Accumulating snow is also expected to spread into the Central High Plains by Friday evening and night; a few inches of snow is possible there. A stationary front is expected to linger across the Plains, Middle Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley on Friday, before upper-level energy comes in to push the front eastward on Saturday. On Friday widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected in those areas, and severe weather and flash flooding are both possible. The Storm Prediction Center has outlooked a Slight Risk of severe weather in parts of the Southern/Central Plains to Middle Mississippi Valley, while a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall is in place mainly for portions of Missouri. The rain could exacerbate ongoing flooding across the Mississippi and Missouri River basins. As the front moves eastward on Saturday, these areas will dry out, while the Eastern Seaboard will see increasing chances of rain along the front through Saturday night. Elsewhere, the Southern High Plains is expecting Elevated to Critical fire weather conditions on Friday, where dry air and high winds are likely. The Great Lakes could see some light to moderate snow through the end of the week as a clipper system moves through, and additional snow is possible on the backside of the front moving through the Northeast. Temperature-wise, cooler than average high temperatures are expected to focus in the Northern/Central Rockies and Plains on Friday, while the Southwest to Southeast and northeastward into the Mid-Atlantic will be warmer than average. As the cold front pushes south and eastward on Saturday, cooler temperatures will spread to the Southern Plains and into the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley, while the East sees one more day of temperatures generally 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php