Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 422 PM EDT Tue Apr 04 2017 Valid 00Z Wed Apr 05 2017 - 00Z Fri Apr 07 2017 ...Rain and snow in the Northeast is expected to taper off on Wednesday... ...A strong low pressure system is expected to spread stormy weather across much of the eastern U.S. from Wednesday onward... ...Snow heavy at times is expected to gradually taper off tonight over Colorado and the central High Plains... The weather pattern across the U.S. remains very active as a low pressure system currently affecting the Northeast today into tonight will be followed by a stronger low pressure system which is currently developing in the central/southern Plains. The low pressure center which is bringing rain from the Great Lakes into upstate New York to wet snow in Maine, is expected to gradually weaken while moving eastward through Wednesday. The associated precipitation is forecast to taper off on Wednesday. Meanwhile, another low pressure system is currently developing in southern Oklahoma along a stationary front. As the low interacts with cold air filtering in from the north, wet snow heavy at times, is impacting the central High Plains. With strong dynamics in place, this system is forecast to intensify steadily as it progresses towards the eastern U.S. through Thursday. The low pressure center itself is forecast to reach Ohio Thursday morning as a strong cold front sweeps across the Deep South on Wednesday and into the Southeast on Thursday. Showers and thunderstorms ahead of the cold front could become quite strong in these areas. Meanwhile, strengthening south to southeasterly winds ahead of the intensifying storm will drive warm and moist air from the Atlantic into much of the East Coast on Thursday along with strong gusty winds. A new low pressure center is forecast to form in the mid-Atlantic Thursday morning and then rapidly intensify, sweeping the strong cold front off the East Coast Thursday afternoon. Periods of heavy rain along with strong gusty winds associated with this intensifying low should spread northward from the mid-Atlantic into New England Thursday night. The storm could become slow-moving over the Northeast Thursday night. Areas over the Great Lakes into Ohio and as far south as the central Appalachains could see rain changing to snow Thursday night as cold air filters in from Canada in the wake of the storm. Meanwhile, precipitation associated with the next Pacific front is forecast to penetrate further into the West Coast through Thursday. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php