Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1259 PM EDT Sat Mar 30 2019 Valid 00Z Sun Mar 31 2019 - 00Z Tue Apr 02 2019 ...Thunderstorms with heavy rain to continue across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys this afternoon & evening... ...The West warms while the East cools on Sunday... A strong cold front will move through the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys on Saturday and by the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday. Widespread rain and thunderstorms are forecast near the front from the Lower Mississippi Valley northeastward through the Ohio Valley this afternoon and evening. A Slight Risk of excessive rainfall exists for portions of the Ohio Valley which are expecting the heaviest rain totals while the Storm Prediction Center has outlooked a Slight Risk of severe weather in the Tennessee Valley today. Rain will spread to the Eastern Seaboard by Sunday morning. Within the low pressure system's cold sector, snow is expected through the Lower Great Lakes region and into southeastern Canada. A swath of 4 to 6 inches of snow is forecast for the Lower Great Lakes region into parts of northern New England through Sunday night, and a light glaze of ice is possible there as well. After the front passes, weather conditions should dry out in most areas, though skirmishes of rain showers could continue in the Gulf Coast states through Monday morning with sufficient moisture from the Gulf. Farther west, an upper-level low is forecast to move slowly through the Four Corners region through the weekend, which will allow some snow to accumulate in the Central and Southern Rockies and keep a frontal boundary mostly south of the United States/Mexican border. Snowfall of 4 to 8 inches is possible in the higher elevations of the San Juan Mountains. By Sunday night, light snow is expected to form in the Northern Rockies and Northern High Plains, associated with a weak wave of low pressure. A deep layer low approaching the West Coast will increase rain chances late Sunday into Monday morning in the Pacific Northwest. This afternoon, high temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees below normal in the Central/Southern Plains to Middle Mississippi Valley behind the strong cold front. Ahead of the front, the East is expecting temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average on Saturday, but by Sunday, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys will see high temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average, which is a large temperature swing between Saturday and Sunday. The West Coast is expected to warm up and be around 10 degrees above average this weekend. Roth/Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php