Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 358 AM EDT Fri May 07 2021 Valid 12Z Fri May 07 2021 - 12Z Sun May 09 2021 ...Unsettled weather is expected across the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains... ...Scattered showers and thunderstorms across parts of the central and eastern U.S. will begin to focus in the Central Plains and Mississippi and Ohio Valleys over the weekend... Over the next couple of days, an upper-level trough/low is forecast to move eastward into the western U.S. and push a frontal system across the West ahead of it. These features will lead to precipitation for the Northern Rockies into the Northern Plains. Several inches of snow is expected in higher elevations, and some light snow amounts could even spread into lower elevations of the Northern Plains, given cooler than average temperatures spreading into the northwestern and north-central U.S. after a warm Friday across the Rockies. Farther east, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected today in the Great Lakes region and Mid-Atlantic and Northeast as a couple of weak low pressure systems move across. Scattered thunderstorms are also possible in portions of the Plains, and some storms could be strong there. Then, as the western upper-level low shifts into the Northern Rockies/Northern Plains on Saturday, a low pressure system is forecast to consolidate in the Central Plains and thunderstorms should develop near its associated warm front. A Slight Risk of severe weather is in place mainly in Kansas on Saturday for tornado, wind, and large hail threats. Additionally, a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall has been delineated in portions of the Central Plains and Middle Mississippi Valley, where 1 to 2 inches of rain could cause flash flooding concerns where thunderstorms train over the same areas on Saturday and Saturday night. In terms of temperatures, broad upper-level troughing over the eastern part of the U.S. will lead to below normal temperatures there, especially in terms of highs--highs in the 50s and 60s for the Midwest to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic would be 10 to 20 degrees below normal through the weekend. As mentioned, temperatures will be quite warm today for the Rockies as well as the Desert Southwest, Four Corners states, and the High Plains, with widespread 80s. Above normal temperatures should be pushed southward and focus across the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandles on Saturday, as much colder air filters into the north-central U.S. with the trough approaching. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php