Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 354 PM EDT Wed Oct 05 2016 Valid 00Z Thu Oct 06 2016 - 00Z Sat Oct 08 2016 ...Hurricane Matthew expected to move across the Bahamas through Thursday as it approaches the Florida coast... ...Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain possible across the Plains on Thursday... ...Snow expected along the northern and central Rockies... Hurricane Matthew will continue a north-northwesterly track across the islands of the Bahamas today through Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, the center of the storm will begin approaching the east coast of Florida and will skirt right along the coast throughout Thursday and Friday. South Florida will begin seeing heavy rainfall associated with Matthew sometime Thursday afternoon. On Friday, as Matthew travels northward along the Florida coast, heavy rainfall will also move northward along the Florida/Georgia coast. South Carolina will also see an increase in precipitation by Friday afternoon. For more specifics on the impacts associated with Hurricane Matthew, including the latest track and information on storm surge, see the National Hurricane Center (www.hurricanes.gov). Meanwhile, a strong upper level low will dig across the northern Plains and remain nearly stationary throughout Wednesday night and Thursday. In addition, an upper level disturbance will eject from the Rockies across the central Plains and into the Upper Midwest. At the surface, a strong front will provide focus for convection as the upper level disturbance moves across these regions. Heavy rain and an enhanced risk of severe weather is possible for portions of the central Plains and Mid-Mississippi Valley. By Friday morning, the cold front will progress quickly southward, stretching from the Great Lakes to the southern Plains. Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of the front. The aforementioned upper level low will promote snow showers across the higher elevations of the northern and central Rockies on Thursday--especially across the higher peaks in Colorado and Wyoming. These snow showers will begin to taper off by Friday as the upper level low finally moves eastward toward the Great Lakes. Fanning Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php