Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 357 AM EDT Tue Jul 05 2016 Valid 12Z Tue Jul 05 2016 - 12Z Thu Jul 07 2016 ...Heavy rains and severe thunderstorms expected ahead of a cold front pressing through the Upper Mississippi Valley Tuesday afternoon... ...Conditions will remain hot and humid from the southern Plains to the Carolinas the next few days... Showers and thunderstorms will be possible with a cold front pressing eastward through the north central U.S. the next few days. Anomalous low level moisture surging northward ahead of the boundary should feed into developing convection and heighten the risk for heavy rains and severe weather...especially as the front presses through the Upper Mississippi Valley Tuesday afternoon. Another potential area for heavy rains and strong to severe storms will be to the north of the tail end of the boundary stalling out over Nebraska Wednesday afternoon. Conditions will remain hot and humid beneath an upper ridge expanded over the southern tier of the Nation. Widespread heat advisories have been issued for much of the south central U.S. as well as portions of the Carolinas and Southeast...where high temperatures and dew points will combine to create dangerous heat indices well into triple digits. Also within the hot and humid airmass...enough daytime heating and weakness in the ridge aloft could allow for scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms across the Tennessee and Lower Mississippi Valleys. Gerhardt Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php