Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 359 AM EDT Sat Apr 04 2020 Valid 12Z Sat Apr 04 2020 - 12Z Mon Apr 06 2020 ...Heavy showers and thunderstorms to persist across central and southern Texas today... ...California braces for Pacific storm system to produce copious amounts of rain and mountain snow this weekend... ...Nor'easter departs this morning, cool temperatures across the Plains on Saturday will rebound to more spring-like levels by Sunday... A potent cold front sweeping across south Texas and into northern Mexico early this morning will help to diminish the severe threat on Saturday. However, persistent southwesterly flow aloft with embedded upper level disturbances will aid in additional showers and thunderstorms throughout the from central and southern Texas to Arkansas and Louisiana. Rainfall rates could be high within heavier showers and thunderstorms and may promote the threat for localized flash flooding in parts of south Texas. Shower and thunderstorm activity is expected to taper off Saturday night with only a few stray showers and thunderstorms possible across Texas on Sunday and into Sunday night. The next weather headliner will be a deep and anomalous upper trough that will slam into California this weekend. Through Monday, rainfall totals in the valleys and coastal areas of Oregon and California will ranger between 1 to as much as 3 inches. In the higher elevations snow will start to fall in the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, then fall and accumulate at a rapid pace on Sunday. Heavy snow will continue into Monday and begin to gradually taper off Monday night. By Tuesday morning, portions of the Sierra Nevada are forecast to receive anywhere from 1 to as much as 4 feet of snow with locally higher amounts possible in the highest elevations. In addition to the heavy precipitation totals, temperatures are likely to remain below normal throughout the weekend and into the start of the upcoming week. The nor'easter that has generated heavy showers, strong wind gusts, and coastal flooding is heading east deeper into the northwest Atlantic this morning. This should make for drier conditions along much of the East Coast Saturday with seasonally mild temperatures on tap. Further west, the Plains will start out the weekend on a cool note but moderating temperatures are likely to take shape on Sunday. By Monday, temperatures from the front range of the Rockies to the East Coast are forecast to feel more like May than early April. Temperatures will only continue to warm across the Heartland and into most eastern regions on Tuesday. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php