Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 419 AM EDT Thu Mar 31 2016 Valid 12Z Thu Mar 31 2016 - 12Z Sat Apr 02 2016 ...There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms from the Central Gulf Coast to the Western Ohio Valley... ...Heavy rain possible over the Southeast, Central Gulf Coast, and Tennessee Valley... ...Light snow over parts of the Upper Great Lakes/Upper Mississippi Valley and Central Rockies... A front extending from the Great Lakes to the Southern Plains will slowly move to the East Coast by Friday evening. Showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of the boundary from the Western Ohio Valley to the Lower Mississippi Valley and parts of the Western Gulf Coast that will expand eastward to parts of the Southern Mid-Atlantic to the Southeast by Thursday evening. The showers and thunderstorms will move to the Mid-Atlantic Coast to the Central Gulf Coast by Friday evening. Rain will develop over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley/Upper Great Lakes expanding into parts of the Northeast by Thursday evening. Light snow will develop over parts of the Upper Great Lakes while the rain continues over other parts of the Upper Great Lakes/Great Lakes by Thursday evening, ending over the Great Lakes by late Thursday night. The rain will continue over parts of the Northeast through Friday evening. Meanwhile, multiple areas of upper-level energy will move from the Northern High Plains and parts of the Southwest eastward to the Lower Great Lakes and Southern Plains by Friday evening. The energy will produce snow over parts of the Northern/Central High Plains and the Northern/Central Rockies on Thursday morning that will expand into parts of the Southern Rockies by Thursday evening. The snow will end by Friday morning over the Northern/Central Rockies and Northern/Central High Plains, ending over the Southern Rockies/Southern High Plains by Friday evening. In addition, rain will develop over parts of the Northern/Central Plains on Thursday expanding into parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley by Thursday evening. Overnight Thursday the rain will change over to snow over the Upper Mississippi Valley moving into the Upper Great Lakes by Friday evening while rain moves into the Western Ohio Valley/Middle Mississippi Valley. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php