Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 358 PM EDT Wed Mar 30 2016 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 31 2016 - 00Z Sat Apr 02 2016 ...Strong to severe storms expected across the Mississippi Valley and Southeast through Friday... ...Heavy rain and flash flooding to threaten the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast over the next few days... A strong upper level low digging across the Great Basin will split into two parts by late Wednesday night. The first piece of energy jets off toward the Plains and will provide forcing for both severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and subtropical Pacific moisture will stream across the lower Mississippi Valley and Deep South while a strong cold front approaches from the west. Through Thursday morning, expect widespread thunderstorms to concentrate mostly west of the Mississippi River. The Storm Prediction Center highlights the Arklatex region in the enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms, meanwhile WPC has a moderate risk of flooding just east of that region. Throughout the day on Thursday, the cold front will move across the eastern U.S. spanning from the Great Lakes and into the lower Mississippi Valley. This will fire off another round of thunderstorms, specifically from the western portions of the Ohio Valley to the Deep South. The Storm Prediction Center highlighted these regions under an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms for Thursday. The threat for flooding will stay in the Southeast for Thursday and into Friday as the cold front moves across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. Snow across the northern and central Rockies will continue throughout the rest of Wednesday as the piece of upper level energy swings south and east toward the plains. By Thursday and into Friday, most of the snow will shift toward the southern Rockies. The surface low associated with the cold front moving across the eastern U.S. will slide across the Great Lakes throughout the next few days. This will cause snow around the Lakes especially on Thursday as the low moves moves toward New England. Then toward the weekend, a clipper-like feature will move south and produce light snow across the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes. Fanning Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php