Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 212 AM EST Wed Mar 01 2017 Valid 12Z Wed Mar 01 2017 - 12Z Fri Mar 03 2017 ...Threat for severe storms shifts east into the Tennessee and upper Ohio valleys as well as from southern New England down to the Southeast... ...Record warmth expected for many along the East Coast today... ...Unsettled weather to return to the Pacific Northwest... Ongoing rounds of severe storms early this morning across the Midwest and Ohio valley will continue to move east today well out ahead of a strong cold front extending from the Great Lakes to Texas. Additional storms are expected to develop near the cold frontal boundary later today with a broad threat for severe storms highlighted by the Storm Prediction Center, extending from the Ohio and Tennessee valleys into the I-95 corridor from New York City down into the Carolinas. While strong straight line winds are expected to be the main concern, large hail and tornadoes will also be possible along with flash flooding. The flash flood threat will be especially focused along the upper Ohio valley into the north-central Appalachians today. High temperatures ahead of the cold front will be in the 70s and 80s from the New York City metro and southward, with southern New England likely seeing widespread 60s. These values are 15 to 30 degrees above average early March normals, and high temperature records are expected to be set across several cities from southern New England and New York down to the Gulf Coast. The other feature of this storm system worth noting will be a stripe of light to locally moderate snow from eastern Wisconsin into northern lower Michigan toady where up to 6 inches will be possible with locally higher totals. Temperatures behind the front will cool down to near average for Thursday, and in fact will be close to average across the entire country. The one exception will be the Dakotas into Minnesota on Thursday where high temperatures are forecast to stay in the teens and 20s behind a secondary surge of cold air. After the large storm system exits the eastern U.S., the weather across the nation will be fairly quiet. Light snow, possibly mixed with rain on the south side, will streak across portions of the Midwest on Thursday, reaching the northern Mid-Atlantic region Friday morning. Across the Pacific Northwest, light rain and snow will continue through Thursday morning at which point a cold front will approach the region bringing a renewed surge of lower elevation rain and mountain snow to western Washington and Oregon. Otto Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php