Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 430 PM EDT Wed May 07 2014 Valid 00Z Thu May 08 2014 - 00Z Sat May 10 2014 ...Widespread heavy rain and severe weather possible across the central U.S.... ...Rain and higher elevation snow returns to the Northwest... ...Threat for wildfires continues across much of the central and southern High Plains... The most notable feature over the next few days is a system exiting the Rockies and strengthening as it moves into the Central U.S.. Organized areas of heavy rain, with flash flooding potential, are expected to develop across the northern/central High Plains this evening, but should quickly move into the northern/central Plains states as the front moves east Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon, heavy rain begins to develop ahead of a dry line in the central Plains and spreads into the Mississippi Valley as the cold front catches up. WPC has highlighted a slight risk for flash flooding across portions of the central Plains on Thursday, and SPC is monitoring the risk for severe weather from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Southern Plains on Thursday and into Friday. Downstream of the above system, a frontal boundary draped across the Eastern U.S. will continue to lift slowly northward across the Great Lakes while remaining quasi-stationary across the Mid-Atlantic. Rain and thunderstorms should continue to develop north of this boundary from the Upper Midwest to the Northern Mid-Atlantic states as weak pieces of energy move through in the flow aloft. Out west, widespread red flag warnings remain in effect across a large portion of the central and southern High Plains as the hot, dry, windy weather continues and the threat for wildfires looms. Upstream, a system moving in from the eastern Pacific will increase chances for rain and higher elevation snow beginning in the Pacific Northwest Thursday morning and spreading into the Intermountain west by Thursday evening. Moderate to heavy rain could develop for coastal areas of Oregon and Washington Thursday afternoon, while moderate to heavy rain/snow is expected across the higher terrain of the Northern Rockies by Friday morning. Monarski Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php