Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 350 PM EDT Fri Mar 27 2020 Valid 00Z Sat Mar 28 2020 - 00Z Mon Mar 30 2020 ...Heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorm threat expected to increase from the southern to central Plains northeastward through the Ohio Valley... ...Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees above average across large sections of the South... ...Fire weather threat remains at critical levels through Saturday across the southern/central High Plains and southern Rockies... A rapidly intensifying low pressure system is forecast to bring unsettled weather from the Nation's Heartland to the Great Lakes and Northeast as we head into the weekend. A potent upper-level trough is currently generating mountain snow showers and lower-elevation rain across the Four Corners region early this afternoon. As the upper-level trough moves eastward today, a low pressure system will intensify over the central High Plains. On the western side of this storm system, accumulating snowfall is likely along the front range of the Central Rockies as well as eastern Colorado, southeast Wyoming, and western Nebraska tonight and into Saturday morning. East of the storm, rain and thunderstorms should expand eastward through the Midwest and towards the Ohio Valley this evening and into Saturday. Excessive rainfall is possible in this swath of the country with a Slight Risk for flash flooding in place through tonight. In addition, severe weather is anticipated tonight from the Southern Plains along the dryline and ahead of an approaching cold front to the Midwest as a warm front lifts northward across the region tonight. By Saturday a heightened threat for severe weather, including the threat for tornadoes, is possible in portions of the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Lower Mississippi Valley. In fact, the SPC has issued a Moderate Risk for severe weather in extreme southeast Iowa and northern Illinois on Saturday. As the storm intensifies over the Midwest on Saturday, a wind-driven cold rain is expected to spread across the central Plains on Saturday. Some of the rain could change over to wet snow Saturday night across the upper Midwest before tapering off by Sunday morning. South of the intensifying storm, showers and thunderstorms ahead of a strong cold front are expected to move quickly across the southern Plains through Saturday, reaching the Mississippi Valley on Sunday. The storm system will usher showers to the Northeast and a wintry mix to northern New England on Sunday before a new coastal storm takes shape off the New England coast by Monday morning. Elsewhere, a new upper-level trough is forecast to impact the Pacific Northwest going into the weekend which will bring locally heavy rain to the coastal ranges. The Cascades will brace for heavy snow with as much as 1 to 2 feet of new snowfall going through Sunday night. Meanwhile, fire weather threat remains at critical levels through Saturday across the southern to central High Plains and southern Rockies as locally strong winds, very warm temperatures, and low relative humidities are expected across these areas in the wake of the intensifying storm. In fact, temperatures across the southern U.S. to the Mid-Atlantic will see well above average temperatures, with readings 15 to 25 degrees above normal. Many of the southern regions can expect high temperatures in the 80s to near 90 degrees ahead of the approaching cold front. Mullinax/Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php