Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 458 PM EDT Sun May 10 2015 Valid 00Z Mon May 11 2015 - 00Z Wed May 13 2015 ...Heavy snow to spread eastward into areas of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota... ...Severe weather likely from the Plains eastward to the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys... ...Flash flooding possible over the Southern Plains and Arklatex region... ...Tropical Depression Ana will continue to weaken before dissipating... A deep upper low currently spinning over the Nebraska panhandle has continued to dump moderate to heavy snow to the north and west. The late season snowstorm has brought significant accumulations to much of the Central Rockies and into the Central/Northern High Plains. As time progresses forward, the measurable snowfall will spread into some of the lower elevations of the Dakotas and into northern Minnesota. The WPC winter weather desk suggest amounts in the 2 to 6 inch range over these areas while the areal coverage diminishes farther west across the Rockies and adjacent High Plains. While snow will dominate within the cold sector of the system, it will be quite the contrary farther south within the warm/moist and unstable air. Currently, the Storm Prediction Center has placed many locations over the Southern/Central Plains and into the Middle Mississippi Valley in a tornado watch. Favorable low-level wind profiles combined with ample moisture and instability will enhance the tornado risk into the overnight hours. This severe weather threat should continue to migrate eastward the next couple of days with the action moving into the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys for Monday. At this point, much of this risk will be along and ahead of an advancing cold front which will contain a rather significant temperature contrast along it. Continued heavy rainfall across areas of the Southern Plains and Arklatex will enhance the threat for flash flooding through Monday. The Gulf of Mexico is forecast to continue pumping abundant moisture into the region which will impinge on a slow moving cold front moving through Texas and Louisiana. The expectation of heavy rainfall on top of already saturated soils will enhance the flash flood risk. The first tropical cyclone of the year in the Atlantic basin, Ana, has recently weakened to a tropical depression. Enhanced moisture advancing from the coastal Atlantic in conjunction with strong vertical lift will spread a steady area of moderate to heavy rainfall across the Outer Banks. As the circulation weakens and moves offshore, the better activity should move offshore into the coastal waters. The amplified pattern in place will favor well below normal temperatures across the center of the country. On Monday, forecast highs will range from 20 to 25 degrees below normal over the Central/Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. This suggests readings in the 40s for Monday. Farther south, wet weather across the state of Texas will also favor below normal readings as highs generally hold steady in the upper 60s to lower 70s on Tuesday. Across the eastern U.S., warm weather will prevail underneath the strong upper ridge. This is forecast to allow highs to push well into the 80s the next couple of days with even some lower 90s in the southeastern U.S. Rubin-Oster Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php