Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 403 PM EDT Mon Oct 15 2018 Valid 00Z Tue Oct 16 2018 - 00Z Thu Oct 18 2018 ...Persistent rain is expected for the next few days over Texas where excessive rain is possible in the central part of the state... ...Wintry precipitation over the higher elevations of Arizona and New Mexico today is expected to spread northward into the central Rockies... ...Much below normal temperatures expected from Arizona eastward into the southern Plains... ...Santa Ana Wind over southern California should gradually abate the next couple of days... An upper-level vortex forming over the Desert Southwest will promote unsettled weather to continue across the southern Plains and into the southern Rockies for the next couple of days. Temperatures will be cold enough to support wintry precipitation over the higher elevations of Arizona and New Mexico through tonight, spreading northward into the central Rockies through Wednesday. Farther to the east, persistent southwesterly flow aloft ahead of the upper-level vortex will transport moisture northeastward from the tropical eastern Pacific into the southern Plains, where rain is expected to fall for the next few days. It appears that central Texas will see the greatest chance of rain with the possibility of excessive rain through Wednesday. Temperatures will be 20 to 40 degrees below normal from the southern Plains into the southern Rockies under persistent clouds and precipitation. Over southern California, Santa Ana winds reached damaging levels across parts of the region today. As the high pressure system across the Rockies gradually weakens, the chance of damaging winds should diminish during the next couple of days. After a rainy day across much of the Mid-Atlantic into New England, partly sunny skies should spread into the area on Tuesday behind a cold front. Farther west, a colder surge of Canadian air will promote some wintry precipitation over the upper Great Lakes tonight into Tuesday. By Wednesday, the wintry precipitation should reach interior New England in the wake of a cold front. Elsewhere, the northern Rockies into the northern Plains will remain fine through Wednesday. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php