Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
337 PM EDT Thu May 02 2024
Valid 00Z Fri May 03 2024 - 00Z Sun May 05 2024
...The active weather pattern to continue across the Central to
Southern Plains with potential for additional severe weather,
heavy rains and flash flooding...
...Wetter weather pattern for the Ohio Valley into the
Mid-Atlantic, along with cooler weather...
...Strong front to move into the Pacific Northwest and northern
California this weekend producing widespread heavy precipitation
and late season mountain snows...
The recent active spring weather pattern across large portions of
the central U.S. expected to continue over the next few days. A
surface frontal boundary currently stretching from the Southern
Plains into the Great Lakes and a second front forecast to sink
southward from the Central Plains into the Southern Plains will be
the focus for the potential for additional showers and
thunderstorms. Severe weather is possible across portions of the
Central to Southern Plains near these fronts, along with heavy
rains and localized flash flooding. Flood watches are currently
in effect across portions of southern Oklahoma, eastern Texas into
northwest Louisiana. Moderate to major river flooding is
occurring across these area from recent heavy rains, with
additional heavy rain potential possibly exacerbating ongoing
flooding conditions. While conditions have been wet across the
Central to Southern Plains toward the Mid to Lower Mississippi
Valley of late, drier conditions have persisted farther to the
east. Some relief from the recent dry weather across the east on
tap over the next few days with some much needed rains falling
from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic. Cooler temperatures
also expected for the late week and into the weekend across
portions of the Northeast into the Mid-Atlantic. Record high
temperatures across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley
on Thursday will replaced with much cooler temperatures from a
combination of cloud cover, rainfall and winds blowing off the
still cool western Atlantic.
A strong cold front will be pushing inland into the Pacific
Northwest late Friday and into northern California on Saturday.
This front will be producing some late season heavy precipiation
totals across much of northern California, north through the
Oregon Cascades, southern Washington Cascades and from the Olympic
Range of Washington, southward along the Washington and Oregon
coasts. Late season snows are possible through the Oregon and
Washington Cascades and the northern to Central Sierra Range with
accumulations in excess of a foot possible across the northern
Sierra. In addition to the heavy precipitation and late season
snows associated with this strong front, temperatures will be much
below average across much of the West coast on Saturday with highs
10 to 20 degrees colder than average. These colder than average
temperatures are expected to persist through Sunday while also
spreading farther inland into the Great Basin and portions of the
Southwest.
Oravec
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php