Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 258 PM EST Wed Jan 29 2025 Valid 00Z Thu Jan 30 2025 - 00Z Sat Feb 01 2025 ...Heavy rain, severe weather, and flash flooding possible from the Southern Plains to the Mid/Lower Mississippi and Lower Ohio valleys through Thursday... ...Widespread precipitation, including heavy mountain snow, to return to the Northwest, northern California, and the northern Rockies late this week... A strong, slow-moving low pressure system will move from the Southwest across the central and southern Rockies tonight. Strong, southerly winds ahead of the system will tap moist, unstable air -- supporting widespread showers and thunderstorms that will develop and spread east from the southern and central Plains into the Mississippi Valley. A few strong to severe storms, producing damaging winds and perhaps a tornado, are possible tonight from central Texas to far southern Oklahoma. In addition to severe weather, areas of heavy rainfall and localized flooding are possible as well from portions of northeastern Texas to western Arkansas. Cold air on the backside of the system will support snow across parts of the southern Rockies, with accumulations of up to a foot possible over the higher elevations of the northern New Mexico ranges. The system will begin to move more steadily to the east on Thursday, bringing showers and storms and the threat for severe weather farther east as well. Strong, isolated severe storms, producing damaging wind and hail, will be possible from eastern Texas through the lower Mississippi Valley. The threat for heavy rain and flash flooding will extend farther northeast from northeastern Texas into the lower Ohio Valley. By late Friday, the storm will begin to weaken as it moves quickly into the eastern U.S. Widespread precipitation is expected across the eastern-third of the CONUS. However, the threat for severe weather will likely be confined to the central and eastern Gulf Coast, with widespread heavy rainfall not expected. Accumulating snowfall will be limited as well. Lacking cold air, this storm is expected to produce only some minor accumulations north of the low track as it moves into the Northeast on Friday. Dry conditions will continue across the western U.S. until late Thursday when a frontal system begins to impact the Northwest. Widespread precipitation, including heavy mountain snow, will begin to spread east across the Northwest into the northern Rockies and south into northern California, Thursday night. Precipitation will continue to spread farther south and east on Friday, with heavy snow accumulations likely across Olympics, and portions of the Cascades, and the northern Rockies. Apart from some below-average temperatures behind a cold front sinking south across the Northeast, temperatures will be well above normal across the central and eastern U.S. on Thursday. Daytime temperature topping out in the lower 40s to upper 50s are expected to set new daily records across portions of southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. Above-normal temperatures are then forecast to spread across the remainder of the eastern U.S. on Friday. Following a chilly start, temperatures are expected to moderate across the Southwest and the southern Rockies through the latter half of the week. Elsewhere in the West, temperatures will remain near seasonal to above-normal for many locations. Pereira Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php