Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 128 PM EDT Fri Apr 1 2016 Valid 00Z Sat Apr 2 2016 - 00Z Mon Apr 4 2016 ...Heavy rain and strong thunderstorms expected for the Southeast states... ...Snow and much colder temperatures expected from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast this weekend... A cold front crossing the East Coast tonight is expected to bring numerous showers and storms from the Northeast to Florida. Some of these thunderstorms may be severe across portions of the southeastern U.S. through early Saturday. There is also the possibility of some flash flooding in this same general area where one to three inches of rainfall will be possible, with locally higher amounts. Over the weekend, a pattern change is expected over the eastern half of the U.S. as a deep upper-level trough becomes established over the region. A Saskatchewan screamer (which is a clipper system that originates from that Canadian province) will move across the Upper Midwest Saturday morning, bringing rain and snow showers to portions of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes through Saturday. By Sunday, this surface low will spread a round of wintry precipitation across the interior Northeast, which will fall as a mix of rain and snow initially before changing to mainly snow by early Sunday morning as an arctic airmass moves into the region. Windy conditions are likely across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. Saturday night and Sunday as this low intensifies near the coast. The western U.S. will remain mostly dry through the weekend as high pressure remains in place across the region. A weak upper-level disturbance may bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to portions of the interior Northwest on Saturday, however. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php