Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 343 AM EDT Tue Apr 17 2018 Valid 12Z Tue Apr 17 2018 - 12Z Thu Apr 19 2018 ...Heavy rainfall that impacted the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic will come to an end across New England today... ...Late season snow expected for the northern Plains into the Upper Midwest... ...Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions expected from the Southwest to the southern and central Plains today... The low that brought heavy rainfall to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic will continue moving north in New England. Heavy rainfall will occur this morning along with snow in the interior of New England. Some heavier rainfall will linger across northern Maine this afternoon but most of the precipitation will come to an end by tonight. With cyclonic flow from this large and impressive low, it will encourage lake effect rain and snow showers along the lower Great Lakes in addition to the interior of New England. These lake enhanced showers will last through Wednesday until the next round of precipitation. A mid-upper level trough currently over the Intermountain West and Great Basin will stay on an easterly course toward the central U.S. over the next few days. Rain and higher elevation snow is expected along the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies and into the central Rockies today. By tonight, most of the precipitation will taper off as the trough swings over the central Plains. However, some higher elevation snow will linger along the Cascades and Rockies. As the trough ejects into the Plains, rain and snow will develop across the northern and central Plains late tonight into early Wednesday morning. Snow will mostly occur in the northern Plains and part of the upper Mississippi Valley while showers and some embedded thunderstorms are expected in the central Plains and middle Mississippi Valley. During the day on Wednesday, a heavy band of snow will move across the Upper Midwest as rain continues across the middle Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley. This system will progress to the Northeast by Wednesday night into Thursday morning--where snow will occur throughout the Great Lakes and interior of New England. Meanwhile, rain will increase across the Northeast and New England by Thursday morning. Critical to extreme fire weather is expected today for most of New Mexico, parts of West Texas, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and portions of Colorado and Kansas. These areas are already drought-stricken; thus, combining dry fuels with very low relative humidity with gusty winds, this will give way to dangerous, life-threatening fire weather conditions. By Wednesday, the fire weather conditions will lessen but still be critical in parts of the southern and central Plains. See the Storm Prediction Center for more information on the fire weather conditions. Reinhart Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php