Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 402 PM EDT Sat May 2 2015 Valid 00Z Sun May 3 2015 - 00Z Tue May 5 2015 ***Warm weather pattern across much of the country through Monday*** ***Precipitation to become more widespread by Sunday night and Monday*** The majority of the country will enjoy a relatively quiet weather pattern through Sunday afternoon with not much in the way of organized precipitation. The overall flow pattern will be more zonal compared to recent days, thus preventing any significant cold air intrusions from Canada. In the temperature department, readings are expected to be above average through Monday across much of the central and northern U.S., and near normal for the Southeast and Deep South regions. Across the northern plains and Upper Midwest, temperatures are forecast to be 10 to 20 degrees above average, with widespread highs in the 80s expected this weekend. In terms of precipitation, Saturday will be the drier of the two weekend days as a large and sprawling surface high over much of the central and eastern U.S. will help to suppress rainfall. The low pressure area east of the Mid-Atlantic region is now far enough offshore to keep the East Coast dry. By Sunday afternoon, moisture is expected to increase across much of the Intermountain West and Great Plains. A cold front will continue moving southward toward the Great Basin this evening and should become nearly stationary tonight into Sunday. This boundary will serve as a focus for showers and thunderstorms across the Four Corners region and the Rocky Mountains, and much of this activity will be diurnally and orographically enhanced. Another front crossing the northern Plains and Upper Midwest will also result in a band of showers and storms as moisture gets drawn northward into this system. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php