Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1248 AM EDT Wed May 02 2018 Valid 12Z Wed May 02 2018 - 12Z Fri May 04 2018 ...Heavy snow higher elevations of the central Intermountain West into Thursday... ...Severe thunderstorms & flash flooding possible for Plains/Midwest through Thursday... ...Critical fire weather conditions continue through Wednesday for the Southern High Plains... An upper-level low will continue moving eastward through the Southwest, leading to scattered showers and and thunderstorms in the valleys, as well as mountain snow in much of the West on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rainfall amounts are generally expected to be less than an inch. However, late season heavy snow is forecast for higher elevations of Utah, Colorado, and southern Wyoming. Over a foot of snow is possible in the San Juan Mountains and the Central Rockies. The western system moves slowly across the Plains into the Great Lakes, urging a slow-moving cold front eastward across the Plains and Midwest. This boundary and a dryline to its south will lead to rounds of thunderstorms, some severe and with heavy rainfall, which is already relieving short term dryness and drought across the central Plains and near the Missouri/Iowa border. The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a severe weather risk across portions of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Midwest through Thursday. Marginal to slight risks of excessive rainfall are in the cards for portions of the central Plains and Midwest through Thursday. To the south, behind the dryline, low relative humidity and gusty winds will lead to continued elevated to critical fire weather conditions for the Southern High Plains into Wednesday, which has led to the posting of Red Flag Warnings. Due to the Bermuda High residing across the western subtropical Atlantic and Southeast, anomalously warm temperatures spread into the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, with readings 15-25 degrees above average; some record high temperatures are in jeopardy across the northern Mid-Atlantic states. Due to warm overnight temperatures, many record warm minims are forecast to be exceeded across the Ohio Valley, northern Mid-Atlantic states, and southern New England. Roth/Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php