Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 402 PM EDT Fri Aug 23 2013 Valid 00Z Sat Aug 24 2013 - 00Z Mon Aug 26 2013 ...Cooler and dryer conditions take over in the Northeast and the Ohio River Valley, while showers and storms continue over the Southeast... ...Widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of the Intermountain West... ...Increasing chances for heavy rain possible across the Southwest by Sunday... The cold front which pushed off the Mid-Atlantic coast this afternoon, will continue to drop slowly southward through the Southeast. The abundance of moisture in place will allow showers and thunderstorms to remain in the forecast for Saturday. By Sunday, the front is expected to become relatively stationary across the Gulf Coast states which should finally bring the wet weather to an end in the interior Southeast. However, ahead of the front along the coast, the threat for rain lingers from Florida to coastal Texas. Additionally, weak energy aloft could allow for more organized areas of moderate rain to develop along coastal Louisiana and Florida. Behind the front, across most of the eastern third of the nation, high pressure moves in bringing cooler and dryer conditions for the weekend. The western part of the aforementioned front will push eastward across the Northern Plains as a weak warm front. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop across the Upper Midwest states by early Saturday. As the boundary begins to weaken Sunday morning, the rain should come to an end in the Upper Midwest except for northern areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Out west, monsoonal moisture and weak impulses of energy aloft keeps the widespread showers and storms going tonight and tomorrow from the Southwest to the Rockies. By Sunday morning however, the precipitation could become more organized and much heavier across the Southwest U.S. as upper level energy from Tropical Storm Ivo approaches the region. Please refer to the National Hurricane Center for the latest information regarding this system. Monarski Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php