Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 446 AM EDT Tue May 12 2015 Valid 12Z Tue May 12 2015 - 12Z Thu May 14 2015 ***Refreshing change on the way for the eastern U.S. by midweek*** ***Bad weather continues for the southern Plains*** ***Unsettled weather over parts of the western U.S.*** After multiple days of unseasonably warm and humid weather for much of the eastern U.S., a cold front is forecast to reach the East Coast by Tuesday night and bring a welcome change to cooler temperatures and lower humidity. The heat will remain for one more day on Tuesday east of the Appalachians, with highs well into the 80s and even a few low 90s possible. For Wednesday and Thursday, highs will be near normal with readings in the 60s and 70s, and comfortable overnight lows. There will be some scattered showers and storms in association with this front, but nothing widespread is expected and many places may see a dry frontal passage. It's a different story for Texas and the central Plains. Widespread moderate to heavy rain is expected over the next couple of days for Texas as deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico continues to interact with a stalled out frontal boundary over the southern half of the state. Multiple thunderstorm complexes are likely, and these could easily bring several inches of rain and some severe weather as well. By later in the period, heavy rainfall is expected to return to parts of the central Plains with very humid air surging north along a warm front. For the western states, a pronounced upper-level trough over the Pacific Northwest and California will remain over the region through Wednesday. Shortwaves pivoting around this trough will provide enough lift for scattered to numerous showers for the northwest Coast through Wednesday morning. The same holds true for the Intermountain Region and northern Rockies where a few thunderstorms are possible, with snow at the highest elevations. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php