Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 330 PM EDT Wed Mar 18 2020 Valid 00Z Thu Mar 19 2020 - 00Z Sat Mar 21 2020 ...Snow expected for higher elevations of the Four Corners, spreading into the Plains and Upper Midwest... ...Severe weather and flash flooding for the Southern Plains and Mississippi Valley through Thursday... ...Much below average temperatures in the West and much above average temperatures in the East... The weather pattern will be a busy one across the Lower 48 over the next few days thanks to a slow moving upper level trough and a series of disturbances ejecting into the Nation's Heartland. Leading off with the wintry impacts, precipitation will breakout across the Four Corners region tonight and into Thursday. Snow levels will drop across the region today and into tomorrow with 6 to 12 inches forecast across the Mogollon Rim, Wasatch, and Central Rockies. Locally higher amounts are anticipated in the highest elevations. Snow should spread into the Central Plains by Thursday, with a swath of 4 to 6 inches of snow. Blizzard Warnings remain in place across western Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming on Thursday due to a developing low pressure system to the south and strong Canadian high pressure to the north generating strong northeasterly winds. This should lead to drifting snow and whiteout conditions in these areas. Periods of snow is forecast for the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest as well on Thursday with some accumulations possible. Farther east, rain and thunderstorms are expected as a warm front lifts north through the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley this evening. There is an Enhanced Risk of severe thunderstorms in place as well as a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall/flash flooding for the Southern Plains this afternoon and evening. By Thursday, a surging cold front pushes eastward across the Central U.S. as the aforementioned warm front continues to drift north. The result is an even larger area of showers and thunderstorms with severe weather and flash flooding threats will shift eastward into the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. The cold front will continue to advance east on Friday forcing more showers and thunderstorms to develop in the Northeast where a few thunderstorms could be severe and produce heavy downpours. The Nation's Heartland will endure a whiplash of temperature regimes over the next 48 hours as the Midwest and Ohio Valleys initially bask in much above normal temperatures this afternoon and through Thursday. High temperatures from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic coast on Thursday will soar into the 70s while morning lows approach record warm levels in parts of the Southern Plains and Southeast. Once the cold front passes through the Mississippi Valley Thursday night, an injection of cold Canadian air will cause temperatures to plummet to well below normal levels. Daytime highs Friday in the Midwest could be over 30 degrees colder than Thursday's observed high temperatures. Meanwhile, the East Coast will continue to warm up ahead of the cold front on Friday with high temperatures in the mid-upper 70s in the Mid-Atlantic. The East Coast's turn for colder temperatures arrives Friday night as the cold front passes through, leading to a much cooler temperature regime over the weekend. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php