Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 358 AM EDT Wed Mar 29 2017 Valid 12Z Wed Mar 29 2017 - 12Z Fri Mar 31 2017 ...There is as slight risk of severe thunderstorms over the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valleys... ...Heavy snow likely for the Cascades and the Northern Rockies/Great Basin... ...Heavy rain possible over parts of the Pacific Northwest and the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley... Low pressure over the Southern Plains will slowly move northeastward to the Middle Mississippi Valley/Western Ohio Valley by Thursday evening. The storm will produce showers and thunderstorms over parts of the Central/Southern Plains and Middle Mississippi Valley into parts of the Southern High Plains that will move eastward to the Ohio Valley/Tennessee Valley and Central Gulf Coast by Thursday evening. Showers and thunderstorms will also develop over parts of the Central/Southern Appalachians and the Southeast on Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening. In addition, rain will develop over parts of the Middle Missouri Valley on Wednesday morning and expand into parts of the Upper Great Lakes by Wednesday evening. By Thursday rain will move into the Great Lakes and into parts of the Northern Appalachians by Thursday evening. Much of the Pacific Northwest will have widespread precipitation thanks to onshore flow along with multiple upper-level disturbances. Rain and higher elevation snow is forecast from Washington to northern California and east through the Great Basin and the Intermountain West Coastal areas will likely have periods of heavier rainfall intensity. The northern Cascades and sections of the Central Rockies will likely have heavy snow over the next few days. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php