Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 417 AM EDT Wed Apr 16 2025 Valid 12Z Wed Apr 16 2025 - 12Z Fri Apr 18 2025 ...Snow and strong winds spread from the Northern to Southern Rockies... ...Critical Fire Weather Risk returns to Southern High Plains/Southwest today; Extremely Critical Risk on Thursday... ...Severe Weather returns to Central U.S. beginning Thursday... ...Well above average temperatures over the Central U.S.... Snow showers should come to an end over the Lower Great Lakes this evening while the associated upper-level low spins off into the Canadian maritime. Below average temperatures persist through this evening as surface high pressure settles in. Meanwhile, an amplifying upper trough will pivot over southern Canada and send a strong cold front surging southward through the Rockies. Moderate to heavy mountain snow and strong winds are expected to expand from the Montana ranges today into northwestern Wyoming on Thursday, followed by Colorado by Friday. The heaviest snowfall totals are likely over portions of southern Montana into Wyoming where 1-2 feet, isolated higher amounts, are probable by Thursday morning. Widespread moderate to isolated major impacts are expected from the combination of snow and wind. Cooler air filters into the Rockies and Intermountain West behind the cold front, leading to well below average temperatures for the region late this week. An upper ridge over the Central U.S. will continue to stream warm southerly air into the Great Plains today and gradually shift eastward over the next few days. Temperatures in the 80s and 90s will represent 20-30 degree warm anomalies over parts of the Central/Southern Plains for this time of year. An amplifying upper pattern over the Four Corners will support the migration of warm, windy and very dry conditions eastward into the Southern High Plains late this week. Thus, the Storm Prediction Center issued a series of Critical to Extremely Critical Fire Weather Outlooks for the region beginning today and extending into the weekend. The aforementioned amplifying upper trough will also phase with a southern stream low and promote scattered to severe thunderstorm activity across the Central U.S. beginning tonight. Isolated to severe storms capable of producing large to very large hail, a couple tornadoes and localized damaging winds may occur, according to the Storm Prediction Center's Slight Risk area centered over the Corn Belt States for Thursday. The cold front associated with this activity will become the focus for additional severe weather and excessive rainfall concerns extending from the Upper Great Lakes to the Southern Plains through the weekend. Kebede Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php