Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 500 PM EDT Wed Jul 02 2014 Valid 00Z Thu Jul 03 2014 - 00Z Sat Jul 05 2014 ...Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to intensify into a hurricane before brushing the North Carolina coast and then Cape Cod during the 4th of July holiday.... ...High pressure system will bring delightful weather across the Ohio Valley into the Northeast behind Arthur... ...Summer-like conditions continue for the rest of the country... The biggest weather headline across the country during the next couple of days will continue to be tropical storm Arthur. Arthur is expected to intensify to a hurricane while moving steadily northward off the coast of the southeastern U.S. As a cold front and the associated upper-level trough approach from the Ohio Valley, Arthur is expected to gradually turn toward the northeast and approach the Carolina coastline. The National Hurricane Center continues to predict that the eye of Arthur will pass very near if not along the North Carolina coast early on the 4th of July. A period of high winds and seas with beach erosion can be expected along the coast early on Independence Day, especially the Outer Banks, before the storm pulls a little further out to sea during the day on the 4th while accelerating further to the northeast. Showers and thunderstorms associated with the cold front is expected to develop and affect much of the interior Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on the 3rd and then move into the coastal region on the 4th of July. It appears that firework activities will be hampered by the rain for major cities such as Boston and New York but it should turn out to be quite a nice day for the nation's capital. Meanwhile, Arthur will approach Cape Cod during the night on the 4th with very gusty winds and dangerous surfs. Very pleasant weather will be moving in behind Arthur as a large Canadian high builds into the northeastern part of the country. Temperatures will fall to cool level for July, with more than 10 degrees below normal from the Midwest eastward. Elsewhere across the country, typical summer conditions will prevail. Showers and thunderstorms will continue to focus behind the trail end of the cold front from the Southern Plains into the southern Rockies. Isolated to scattered afternoon thunderstorms can also be expected in the Intermountain region. Otherwise, the rest of the West should remain dry through the 4th of July festivities. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php