Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 251 PM EDT Thu Mar 20 2025 Valid 00Z Fri Mar 21 2025 - 00Z Sun Mar 23 2025 ...Wet weather continues across the Pacific Northwest into the Northern Rockies... ...A fire weather threat across large portions of the Central to Southern Plains, portions of the western to central Gulf Coast and east central to southeast Florida... ...Spring like temperatures across much of the Lower 48... The first day of Spring will see a less snow and severe thunderstorm impacts across much of the nation in the wake of the blizzard/snowstorm that affected areas from the Central Plains into the Upper Great Lakes having moved into southeast Canada. Cold air in the wake of this storm will continue press eastward tonight across much of the east, bringing cooler air across areas seeing very mild temperatures Thursday afternoon. The cold front ushering this cooler air eastward will have showers and thunderstorms along it as it presses eastward along the eastern seaboard. However, thunderstorms activity is not expected to be as strong as what occurred Wednesday afternoon/evening across the Mid-West, Ohio and Tennessee Valley region, with no areas of severe thunderstorms expected today. The above mentioned colder air pushing eastward today will keep temperatures slightly below average over the Southeast and Florida on Friday and across Florida on Saturday. Slightly below average temperatures also on tap for the next two days from the Northern Rockies into the Pacific Northwest. However, arctic air will remain absent from the Lower 48 for the first few days of Spring. The recent wet weather pattern over the Pacific Northwest expected to continue over the next few days. The next in a series of frontal boundaries moving across the northeast Pacific will bring the next round of moderate to heavy precipitation into the Pacific Northwest late this afternoon into Thursday evening, followed by more rains and higher elevation snows for the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies on Friday. Dry and breezy conditions expected across much of the Central to Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, Gulf Coast and Florida over the next few days. This will support the continuation of a fire risk across portions of these areas. Red Flag warning are currently in effect across potions of the Plains, Gulf coast and east central to southeast Florida, affecting nearly 25 million people. Oravec Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php