306  
FXUS01 KWBC 171856  
PMDSPD  
 
SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
255 PM EDT THU APR 17 2025  
 
VALID 00Z FRI APR 18 2025 - 00Z SUN APR 20 2025  
 
...BIG TEMPERATURES CHANGES EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL TO  
SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WITH MUCH COLDER  
TEMPERATURES AND THE THREAT OF HEAVY SPRING SNOWS THROUGH THE  
CENTRAL ROCKIES...  
 
...CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER THREAT FOR THE SOUTHERN TO  
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS...  
 
...SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THURSDAY EVENING/NIGHT FROM EASTERN  
NEBRASKA INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/UPPER LAKES REGION...  
 
...HEAVY RAIN, FLOODING AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISKS INCREASE  
FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY THIS  
WEEKEND...  
 
...MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FROM THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO  
THE EAST COAST...  
 
BIG WEATHER CHANGES WILL CONTINUE FROM THE CENTRAL ROCKIES INTO  
THE CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN PLAINS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS A STRONG  
COLD FRONT PRESSES SOUTHWARD ACROSS THESE AREAS. BELOW AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS/NORTHERN ROCKIES REGION  
THURSDAY WILL CONTINUE TO SURGE SOUTHWARD THURSDAY NIGHT, FRIDAY  
AND INTO SATURDAY ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND CENTRAL TO  
SOUTHERN PLAISN. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO BE 30+ DEGREES  
COLDER ON FRIDAY COMPARED TO THURSDAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL  
ROCKIES INTO CENTRAL PLAINS, WITH SIMILAR TEMPERATURES DROPS  
EXPECTED SATURDAY COMPARED TO FRIDAY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TO  
CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. THESE COLDER  
TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY ACCUMULATING HEAVY SPRING  
SEASON SNOWS THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WHERE SNOWFALL  
ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12+ INCHES ARE LIKELY. WINTER STORM  
WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT  
FROM SOUTHERN MONTANA, LARGE PORTIONS OF WYOMING INTO CENTRAL TO  
WESTERN COLORADO, AFFECTING OVER A MILLION PEOPLE.  
 
AHEAD OF THE STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE  
PLAINS. CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST INTO THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL  
HIGH PLAINS FROM A COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS, DRY CONDITIONS AND  
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. RED FLAG WARNINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN  
EFFECT FROM EASTERN ARIZONA, ACROSS ALL OF NEW MEXICO, SOUTHWEST  
TO WEST TEXAS, WESTERN OKLAHOMA, WESTERN KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST  
COLORADO, AFFECTING OVER 8.5 MILLION PEOPLE.  
 
THE STRONG COLD FRONT PRESSING SOUTH INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL  
INITIALLY NOT HAVE A LOT OF PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH IT.  
HOWEVER, BY FRIDAY EVENING/FRIDAY NIGHT INCREASING MOISTURE VALUES  
ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WILL HELP SPAWN AN INCREASINGLY  
ACTIVE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM PATTERN FROM NORTH TEXAS, ACROSS  
CENTRAL TO EASTERN OKLAHOMA INTO THE LOWER MISSOURI AND MID  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS. THIS HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT WILL LIKELY  
CONTINUE THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND, WITH INCREASING RISKS OF  
FLOODING, ESPECIALLY FROM FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA INTO NORTHWEST  
ARKANSAS, CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS,  
WHERE THE UPCOMING HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL OVERLAP WHERE SOILS ARE  
STILL SATURATED AND STREAM FLOWS ABOVE AVERAGE FROM THE PREVIOUS  
HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING  
THREAT, THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE INCREASING  
FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAIN, NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE LOWER MISSOURI  
VALLEY, MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY AND  
SATURDAY.  
 
PRIOR TO THE HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER THREAT  
DEVELOPING FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE MID  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND GREAT LAKES, THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO  
BECOME VERY ACTIVE THURSDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY NIGHT FROM  
EASTERN NEBRASKA, EASTWARD INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND  
UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE  
VERY HEAVY ACROSS THESE REGIONS, WITH ONLY A MARGINAL RISK OF  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA INTO WESTERN  
WISCONSIN. SEVERE WEATHER WISE, LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE GREATEST  
RISK FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS, WITH LESSER RISKS OF HIGH WINDS AND  
TORNADOES.  
 
WHILE TEMPERATURES DROP SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL TO  
SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN PLAINS, THE OPPOSITE WILL  
BE OCCURRING FROM THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO THE EASTERN U.S.  
ACROSS THESE AREAS, HIGH TEMPERATURES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS ARE  
EXPECTED TO BE MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE WITH READING 10 TO 15 DEGREES  
WARMER THAN AVERAGE.  
 
ORAVEC  
 
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/BASICWX/BASICWX_NDFD.PHP  

 
 
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