Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 439 PM EDT Tue Aug 06 2013 Valid 00Z Wed Aug 07 2013 - 00Z Fri Aug 09 2013 ...Stormy weather will affect the central Plains and Midwest... ...Showers and thunderstorms expected in the Desert Southwest... ...Above average temperatures for the southern Plains... An impressive cold front is beginning to drop south over the northern Plains and will eventually move into the Midwest. Showers and thunderstorms have already ignited along this frontal boundary; this process will continue into Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The cold front will arrive in the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes region in the early hours of Wednesday morningand will quickly push toward the lower Great Lakes by Wednesday night and the precipitation will shift accordingly. As the front pushes away from the nothern Plains and Midwest, cooler air will filter into these areas. Precipitation is also expected in the Ohio Valley as the aforementioned cold front begins to push into this area along with the Lower Great Lakes. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are to be expected through Wednesday and Thursday, with the heavier activity in the middle Mississippi Valley on Thursday morning. A stationary boundary draped across the central Plains will provide focus for convection the through Thursday. Mid-level energy will quickly streak across the Plains around the upper level ridge on Wednesday and Thursday which will support ignition for additional convection. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding will be a concern especially in Kansas and adjacent areas. The upper ridge is assisting in pulling monsoonal moisture into the Four Corners region and as a result showers and thunderstorms will continue firing off over the next few days. This activity will be diurnally driven. Florida will also have its typical mid-afternoon sea breeze thunderstorms throughout the short term period. Unfortunately for the southern Plains, no relief is in sight at least in the short term in terms of shaking off the hot temperatures. Dry weather will ensue and thus temperatures will soar above the century mark and remain above average for the most of the week. Consequently, the drought will continue with its tight grasp over this region. Fanning Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php