Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 231 PM EST Thu Jan 30 2025 Valid 00Z Fri Jan 31 2025 - 00Z Sun Feb 02 2025 ...Precipitation returns to the West Coast, signaling the beginning of a wet pattern... ...Much needed rains spread into the Upper Tennessee Valley, Southern Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic and southern New England... ...Above average temperatures will stretch across much of the Lower 48 heading into the weekend... After several weeks of no precipitation along large portions of the West coast, a more active West coast weather pattern is set to begin Thursday evening/night as precipitation spreads inland off the Pacific into the Pacific Northwest and northern California. Rains and higher elevation snows will continue into Friday and Saturday from northern California into the Pacific Northwest from the Cascades westward to the coast. The recent dry West coast weather has left the region well below average this month with precipitation. This will reduce the threat of any flooding from the expected heavy rains over the next few days. However, this is the beginning of an overall wetter weather pattern for the West coast that will bring additional rounds of potentially heavy precipitation into Northern California for next week, and result in increasing flood threats with time. Active weather currently across portions of the Southern Plains to Lower Mississippi Valley region will be spreading northeastward Thursday night into Friday through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, across the Southern to Central Appalachians, into the Mid Atlantic and southern New England as a storm system pushes northeastward across these areas over the next two days. Much of the eastern U.S. has seen below average precipitation recently, resulting in areas from the Upper Tennessee Valley/Southern Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions. The expected rainfall totals of .50 to 1+ inches, while only putting a dent in the drought, will be much welcomed. The heaviest rainfall totals expected across the Central Appalachians from eastern Kentucky into West Virginia and far southwest Pennsylvania. Melting snows and saturated soils may lead to isolated flooding issues across these regions, with flood watches currently in effect. Isolated flooding issues also possible over portions of the Lower Missouri and Mid-Mississippi Valley regions from northeast Kansas, across northern Missouri, southeast Iowa and northern Illinois from rain falling on still frozen ground. This will reduce the amount of rain absorbed into the ground, enhancing runoff into streams and leading to isolated flooding. Above average temperatures expected across much of the Lower 48 for the end of the workweek and the weekend. The exception will be across the Great Lakes and New England on Saturday when temperatures are expected to be below average in the wake of a strong cold front. Elsewhere across the Lower 48, high temperatures will be above average over the next few days. High temperatures expected to be 10 to 15 degrees above average Friday across nearly all of the central to eastern U.S. By Saturday, high temperatures will reach 15 to 20 degrees above average across all of the Plains and 5 to 10+ degrees above average to the southeast of this into the Southeast U.S., and westward into the Great Basin. Oravec Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php