Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 328 PM EDT Sun Mar 25 2018 Valid 00Z Mon Mar 26 2018 - 00Z Wed Mar 28 2018 ...Snow expected from the Cascades to the northern Rockies in addition to snow and ice in the Upper Mississippi Valley... ...Severe thunderstorm potential over the southern Plains on Monday and Tuesday... ...Multi-day heavy rainfall event to unfold across the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley... An upper level trough moving across the Pacific Northwest will continue bringing active weather across the region in addition to the northern Rockies through Monday then shifting eastward by Tuesday. Widespread light precipitation is expected for the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain West through Monday morning. By Monday afternoon, most of the rain/higher elevation snow will be confined to the Pacific Northwest and the central Rockies. By Tuesday, snow will shift to the southern Rockies. A steady stream of moisture will provide continuous rounds of showers and higher elevation snow across the Pacific Northwest through Tuesday. In terms of higher elevation snow, the Cascades and mountain ranges in Wyoming can expect heavy snow through Monday. On Tuesday, heavy snow will continue across the Washington Cascades in addition to the northern Rockies--with snow increasing across the southern Rockies. Farther east, a swath of snow will move through the Upper Midwest with a chance of ice along the Minnesota/Iowa border. Thunderstorms will begin to fire off along the dry line in the southern Plains on Monday afternoon. Most of these thunderstorms will be confined to west and central Texas into Oklahoma. Expect these thunderstorms to form in the afternoon--with coverage decreasing by late evening. With plenty of moisture on tap from the Gulf of Mexico and instability in place, some of these thunderstorms could be severe. The Storm Prediction Center has a slight risk of severe thunderstorms on Monday. By Tuesday, a cold front will push southward across the middle Mississippi Valley and the southern Plains. Deep southerly flow will provide copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the cold front. The front will provide a focal point for convection to occur. Heavy rainfall is expected--with a slight risk of excessive rainfall possible from the middle Mississippi Valley to northeast Texas. In addition, a slight risk of severe thunderstorms is possible across central Texas as thunderstorms fire off ahead of the cold front. The heavy rainfall event is expected to continue beyond the short term period--see WPC's QPF products for more information. Reinhart Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php