Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 359 PM EDT Sun Apr 16 2017 Valid 00Z Mon Apr 17 2017 - 00Z Wed Apr 19 2017 ...There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of Southern Plains... The central U.S. will be in a fairly active wet pattern over the next few days with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms spanning from the southern Plains to New England. One frontal system will track east-northeast -- with the northern portion lifting through the Great Lakes and Northeast while the southern flank stalls over the Midwest and Central/Southern Plains. Strong to severe thunderstorms, along with potentially heavy rainfall, is forecast to develop along the slow-moving boundary across the Midwest/Plains region. The Storm Prediction Center has a slight risk fore severe thunderstorms in effect today. The showers and thunderstorms over the Great Lakes, Ohio valley, Appalachians and the Northeast will mostly diminish by early Monday morning; however will linger over northern New England with portions of Maine changing over to snow as the system pushes offshore. A second frontal system will push southward into the northern-tier states as surface high pressure drifts southward through Canada and will usher in rain and then eventually snow for portions of the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes region. An approaching Pacific front will spread showers from the West Coast this afternoon to portions of the northern Great Basin and Intermountain West by tonight/early Monday morning. Snow will develop over the higher elevations -- over parts of Northern/Central California and Oregon this afternoon then becoming more widespread over the Northern and Central Rockies on Monday. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php