Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 409 AM EDT Thu Apr 02 2020 Valid 12Z Thu Apr 02 2020 - 12Z Sat Apr 04 2020 ...A nor'easter will edge westward closer toward New England, bringing strong winds, rain, interior wet snow as well as coastal flooding to the Northeast... ...Heavy snow, freezing rain, and cold temperatures will spread eastward across the north-central U.S. through Friday... ...Chance of heavy rain increases over central and eastern Texas Friday into Saturday... A blocking pattern developing in the higher latitudes will lead to rather atypical progressions of weather systems across the U.S. for the next few days. First of all, a large and intense low pressure system that has moved off the Mid-Atlantic coast yesterday is forecast to retrograde, or move back closer toward the East Coast during the next couple of days. This will increase the chance of strong gusty winds along with rain to spread from east to west across New England today into Friday as a back door warm front from the Canadian Maritimes sweeps across the region. It appears that the storm will edge closer toward New England than earlier forecasts. Therefore, coastal sections will be more likely to be impacted by high winds, flooding, high surf and possibly beach erosion. Over the interior sections near the Canadian border, temperatures are expected to be cold enough to support wet snow and mixed precipitation. The storm center is forecast to make its closest approach to Cape Cod Friday morning before gradually pulling back out to sea. Winds and rain are expected to slowly taper off later on Friday, and may end by Saturday morning. Meanwhile on the other side of the country, a strong cold front is expected to move slowly eastward across the northern Plains and into the upper Midwest as a broad upper-level vortex interacts with a surge of cold air from western Canada. Behind this front, temperatures are forecast to fall much below average across the northern Rockies to northern and central Plains. A swath of accumulating snow is expected today from the northern Rockies to North Dakota. By Friday, the snow should be confined to northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin where more than 6 inches of accumulation is possible. In addition, freezing rain is expected to precede the snow from the eastern portions of the Dakotas into western Minnesota. Along and ahead of the cold front, rain and scattered thunderstorms are expected for portions of the Plains and down into the Mississippi Valley. Rainfall totals will generally be light today, but amounts over an inch are possible on Friday into early Saturday for central and eastern Texas as moisture from the Gulf is drawn northward ahead of the strong front. Behind the front, elevated to critical fire weather conditions are forecast by the Storm Prediction Center for the southern High Plains. Warmer than average temperatures are likely ahead of the cold front. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php