Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 400 PM EDT Tue Mar 27 2018 Valid 00Z Wed Mar 28 2018 - 00Z Fri Mar 30 2018 ...The likelihood of strong thunderstorms and heavy rain increases from across the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley... ...Some freezing rain expected over interior New England tonight into early Wednesday... ...Heavy snow should be confined to the high elevations of the northern Cascades and the northern Rockies... An upper-level low currently moving across the Desert Southwest is in the process of lifting out into the central Plains over the next couple of days. Meanwhile, a broad upper-level trough with an associated polar front is dipping into the northern Plains. These two large-scale synoptic systems are forecast to interact across the southern Plains into the mid-Mississippi Valley during the next couple of days, leading to an increasing chance of strong to severe thunderstorms along with heavy rainfall across these areas. The axis of heaviest rain should nudge only slightly to the east into eastern Texas and across the lower Mississippi Valley toward the Tennessee Valley on Thursday before a low pressure system, which is forecast to intensify along the front over the central Plains, begins to push the rain faster toward the east later on Thursday. Outside of the main action in the Mid-South, some freezing rain can be expected over the interior sections of New England tonight into early Wednesday ahead of a cold front. Meanwhile, snow could be heavy this evening over the high elevations of the northern Cascades and the northern Rockies near an arctic front. But as the main synoptic interaction shifts toward the mid-section of the country, precipitation across the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies will be on the wane during the next couple of days. Temperatures will start out below normal over much of the eastern U.S. today but should recover to above normal levels on Thursday under an increasing southerly flow. Rain will keep temperatures below normal in the mid-section of the country as colder air from Canada dips further into the northern Plains. Meanwhile, much of the western U.S. should see a gradual warming trend through Thursday. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php