Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 236 PM EDT Thu Apr 24 2025 Valid 00Z Fri Apr 25 2025 - 00Z Sun Apr 27 2025 ...An active weather pattern to continue across much of the CONUS late this week and into the weekend... ...Widespread showers and thunderstorms expected from the Plains into the East... ...Fire weather threat for portions of the Florida peninsula and the Southern High Plains, with some relief to the New Jersey wild fires possible Friday night into Saturday... ...Much below average temperatures expected across California into the western Great Basin, much above average temperatures stretch through the Rockies and from the Southern Plains into the East... An active Spring weather pattern setting up for large portions of the CONUS from the Plains, eastward into the East, while a strong closed low moving in California brings late season rains and much below average temperatures to California. An area of showers and thunderstorms likely to affect much of the Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley Thursday night/early Friday, spreading east into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Mid Atlantic and Northeast Friday and Saturday. The rains that push into the East Friday night into Saturday may bring some relief to the ongoing wild fires over New Jersey, along with some relief to the ongoing moderate to severe drought conditions from the Mid-Atlantic into southern New England. Storms that form over the Central to Southern Plains late Thursday afternoon into Thursday night will have the potential to produce severe weather from far southeast Colorado, across the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle and into West Texas, with large hail the greatest threat, and lesser chances of tornadoes and high winds. This region of the country has been very active over the past week with another round of showers and thunderstorms likely to develop late Friday afternoon into Friday night into Saturday. This will bring the threat of additional heavy rains, isolated flooding and severe weather from far northeast New Mexico, across the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle, eastward through central to eastern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas. While large portions of the Southern to Central Plains will be active shower and thunderstorm wise over the next few days, dry conditions will persist just to the south and west of this from southeast Arizona across much of New Mexico. These dry conditions, combined with gusty winds and low relative humidities will continue to support an elevated fire weather threat over the next few days. A fire weather threat will also continue across portions of the Florida Peninsula and Mid-Atlantic from the same combination of dry conditions and low relative humidities. A strong mid to upper level low is expected to form Friday off the Pacific Northwest/Northern California coasts, dropping southeastward into Central California on Saturday. This strong mid to upper level low will have the potential to produce some late season rains across much of California, except for the southeast portion of the state. In addition, some much below average temperatures are likely to spread across California beginning Friday and continuing into the weekend. High temperatures are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees below average on Friday across much of California, with these below average temperatures increasing to 15 to 25 degrees below average on Saturday, while also spreading eastward into the western Great Basin. These much below average maximum afternoon temperatures may also produce a few record low high temperatures for Southern California on Saturday. In contrast to these much below average temperatures, much above average temperatures on tap through all of the Rockies Friday and Saturday, from the Southern Plains into Middle to Lower Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and East on Friday, and along the East coast to the Gulf coast on Saturday. Eventually, cooler weather will push south and eastward across the Central to Southern Plains Friday and Saturday, the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Saturday and across the Mid-Atlantic into New England by Sunday in the wake of a cold front forecast to push southeastward across these areas. Oravec Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php