Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 332 PM EDT Thu Jul 03 2014 Valid 00Z Fri Jul 04 2014 - 00Z Sun Jul 06 2014 ...Hurricane Arthur will continue to intensify while tracking up the Eastern Seaboard during the holiday weekend... ...Thunderstorms and heavy rain likely across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast as moisture from Arthur interacts with a cold front... Hurricane Arthur will continue to be the big story as it strengthens and rapidly moves up the Eastern Seaboard through the holiday weekend. Periods of very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds will continue to batter the North Carolina coastline overnight and into Friday morning before the storm moves farther offshore by the afternoon. Please refer to the National Hurricane Center for the latest forecasts and advisories on Arthur. Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong to severe thunderstorms will continue to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States tonight just ahead of a cold front slowly moving into the region this afternoon. Overnight, this moisture will begin to interact with the moisture from Arthur to bring thunderstorms and heavy rain to much of New England, but should come to an end from west to east by Friday afternoon as the cold front moves through. Heavy rain continues for Saturday across coastal New England as Arthur tracks just to the east. Intense rainfall rates within the storms could lead to some flash flooding problems across the entire Northeast tonight and into Friday, and the New England coast on Saturday. Behind the cold front, strong high pressure slides in which should keep conditions cool and very comfortable for the Fourth of July and the weekend following from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic. Elsewhere, the nearly stationary southern portion of the above boundary will focus convection across parts of the Southern Plains and Florida on Friday, while monsoonal flow into the Four Corners region continues to fire up widespread afternoon shower and thunderstorm activity on Friday and Saturday. To the north, a boundary moving into the Northern Plains this weekend may bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to parts of the Upper Midwest by Saturday afternoon. Monarski Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php