Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 231 PM EDT Fri Apr 14 2017 Valid 00Z Sat Apr 15 2017 - 00Z Mon Apr 17 2017 ...Showers and thunderstorms with locally heavy rain possible from portions of the mid/upper Mississippi valley to the Great Lakes... ...Severe thunderstorms possible for portions of the southern/central plains... ...Above average temperatures expected for much of the central and eastern U.S. through the weekend... A frontal system will move eastward across the Upper Midwest tonight, with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms expected from portions of the central plains east to the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. Locally heavy rainfall will be possible for these areas. Farther south, scattered thunderstorms are possible along a dry line across the southern and central High Plains. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined portions of the region for a slight risk of severe thunderstorms through tonight. On Saturday, numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected once again along the cold front and dry line from the southern plains to the Great Lakes. Locally heavy rain will once again be possible, and severe thunderstorms are possible as well on Saturday across portions of the southern and central plains. By Sunday, the cold front will move east into the Ohio valley and the Northeast, bringing areas of showers and thunderstorms to those regions. The tail end of the front will become slow-moving or stationary from the southern plains to the Mid-Mississippi valley, keeping areas of showers and storms in the picture for those areas through Sunday. Mountain snows and valley rains should gradually wind down tonight across the northern Rockies and the Cascades, with only scattered snow/rain showers persisting at the highest elevations on Saturday. Most of the West will remain dry until a Pacific frontal system approaches the coast by Sunday, spreading showers into portions of the West coast and Great Basin/Intermountain West, with snow at the higher elevations. Warm temperatures are expected to persist across much of the central and eastern U.S. through the weekend, as high pressure at the mid and upper levels remains in place. Afternoon high temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees above average are expected both Saturday and Sunday, especially across areas from the Ohio valley and Great Lakes to the Northeast. Portions of the Northeast could be as much as 25 degrees above average on Sunday. The northwestern U.S. will start the weekend with temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below average as an upper trough passes overhead. Temperatures will moderate for much f the region by Sunday, however. Below average temperatures may persist across northern California into Sunday as the next round of precipitation begins to overspread the region. Ryan Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php