Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 354 PM EDT Wed Oct 04 2017 Valid 00Z Thu Oct 05 2017 - 00Z Sat Oct 07 2017 ...Heavy rain possible across the central U.S... ...Showers and thunderstorms will continue along southeast Florida and South Texas... As a cold front stretches from the lower Great Lakes to the southern Plains, light showers and thunderstorms will stretch from the Great Lakes to the middle Mississippi Valley. The axis of heavy rainfall this afternoon through the overnight hours will be across the southern Plains and eastern New Mexico as copious amounts of moisture will be on tap due to the transport of southerly winds from the Gulf of Mexico. There is a slight risk of flash flooding for parts of the southern Plains and eastern New Mexico. By Thursday, another low pressure system ejects out into the central Plains. This system will bring another round of convection stretching from the southern and central Plains to the middle Mississippi Valley. In addition, a nearly stationary front will extend over the Ohio Valley; this boundary will also be a focal point for scattered showers and thunderstorms. The heaviest rainfall on Thursday is expected to occur in the eastern portions of the central Plains and middle Mississippi Valley--with a risk of flash flooding. The front will slowly lift north and east by Friday which will help sustain the convection throughout the Plains and Mississippi Valley while showers and thunderstorms develop in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast. As an easterly wave moves westward across Florida, widespread convection is expected over the next few days. The Atlantic coast of Florida will experience heavy rainfall on Thursday afternoon--with lighter rainfall along the Gulf Coast and into the Keys. As the wave progresses farther west into the Gulf, easterly flow will still bring deep tropical moisture over the state--fueling showers and thunderstorms across the state on Friday. Reinhart Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php