Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 338 PM EDT Sat Mar 28 2020 Valid 00Z Sun Mar 29 2020 - 00Z Tue Mar 31 2020 ...Severe weather, flash flooding, accumulating snowfall, and critical fire weather conditions all on the table as a powerful Midwest storm system tracks east tonight and into Sunday... ...Much above normal temperatures across a large sections of the South to reach the East Coast for Sunday, cooler temperatures return early next week... ...Active weather pattern in the Northwest, drier and warming up next week across the Southwest... A powerful storm system in the Nation's Heartland is forecast to produce several weather hazards this this evening including severe weather, flash flooding, winter weather, and strong winds conducive for critical fire weather conditions. As the storm intensifies this afternoon, dangerous thunderstorms are expected to rapidly develop with the potential for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds in portions of the Midwest, the Mid-South, and Lower Great Lakes. On the northern edge of the storm, the Upper Mississippi Valley may receive up to a few inches of snow overnight. Farther east, excessive rainfall could lead to flash flooding across the Lower Great Lakes and northern Mid-Atlantic. By Sunday morning, both the severe and flash flood threats will lessen but a few strong to severe thunderstorms are possible in the eastern Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. Showers along with cooler and dreary conditions will be common in the Northeast while portions of northern New England receive accumulating snowfall. Snow totals in portions of northern Maine may exceed 6 inches with less snowfall closer to the coast. In wake of this storm system, blustery conditions combined with low relative humidity levels will set the stage for a heightened risk for fire weather in the southern High Plains. The Rio Grande River Valley in particular is under a critical risk for fire weather potential this afternoon. In addition, drier conditions will arrive across the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys Sunday while the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast bask in well above normal temperatures. High temperatures will soar into the 80s from Virginia on south to the Southeast and Gulf Coasts. This taste of summer-like warmth will be short lived as below normal temperatures over the Great Lakes Monday push into most southern and eastern regions by Tuesday. Out west, an upper-level trough will take its time tracking east as it looks to stay a few days over the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. This makes for a cool and wet stretch of weather across the region. This pattern is also favorable for dropping heavy snowfall in the Cascades, Blue, Bitterroot, Sawtooth, and Teton Mountain ranges. The Cascades most notably will be measuring snow in feet through mid-week. Meanwhile, neighbors in the Southwest will be mostly dry but cool through Monday before a warming trend gets started on Tuesday. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php