779 FXUS01 KWBC 022043 PMDSPD Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 441 PM EDT Thu Apr 02 2026 Valid 00Z Fri Apr 03 2026 - 00Z Sun Apr 05 2026 ...Heavy snow across the Dakotas to northern Minnesota... ...Freezing rain and wintry mix from the northern Plains across the upper Great Lakes and northern New England... ...Strong to severe thunderstorms from the southern Plains to the Midwest... A couple of quick-moving low pressure systems will bring active wintry weather across the northern tier states, and strong to severe thunderstorms from the southern Plains to the Midwest through the next couple of days. The active weather will come in two rounds for these areas. The snow and freezing rain currently impacting the upper Midwest to the upper Great Lakes is associated with the first of the two low pressure systems. This system will also bring the first round of strong to severe thunderstorms across the Midwest to the lower Great Lakes through tonight, before bringing a round of freezing rain and sleet Friday morning across northern New England. Meanwhile, the second low pressure system is moving out of the northern Rockies this evening before intensifying over the north-central Plains on Friday and track into the Great Lakes on Saturday. This system is bringing mountain snow across the northern Rockies and as far south as the Wasatch in Utah tonight. The Colorado Rockies will also get a round of snow from this system before a swath of moderate to heavy snow overspreading the northern Plains on Friday reaching into northern Minnesota Friday night into Saturday morning. Another round of freezing rain and sleet will then blanket the upper Midwest to the upper Great Lakes Friday night into Saturday. Meanwhile, a rather strong cold front trailing from the low center will bring the next round of strong to severe thunderstorms from the southern Plains to the Midwest beginning later on Friday before additional severe thunderstorms move through steadily from west to east Friday night into Saturday, reaching into the lower Mississippi Valley later on Saturday. Rain and some embedded thunderstorms will extend across the Ohio Valley through the lower Great Lakes ahead of the cold front later on Saturday with some wintry precipitation possible for the high-elevation of interior New England ahead of the warm front. Ahead of the cold front, high temperatures will be well above normal across the eastern U.S., with record high temperatures possible on Saturday from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic. In contrast, much colder weather will overspread much of the western U.S. through the next couple of days behind the pair of low pressure systems. Meanwhile, much below normal temperatures persist across the northern Plains. Kong Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php $$