Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 228 AM EDT Mon Jul 07 2014 Valid 12Z Mon Jul 07 2014 - 12Z Wed Jul 09 2014 ...Dry in the Northwest and Deep South... ...Thunderstorms across the Southwest, Gulf coast, Midwest, and Front Range of the Rockies over the next couple days... A ridge/trough pattern is expected to amplify across the northern Rockies and Great Lakes respectively which should cause the West to be quite hot with a strengthening thermal low and the Great Lakes to be more temperate over the next couple of days. The Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies will remain dry under the warm core ridge through Tuesday. The upper trough across southeast Canada and the Great Lakes is expected to amplify/deepen under the base of a strengthening block in the flow pattern across northern Quebec and Labrador. At the leading edge of the upper trough, a cold front will slowly work its way across the Ohio Valley, Great Plains, and East, bringing rounds of thunderstorm activity in its vicinity. The largest volley of thunderstorms appears aimed for the Mid-Mississippi Valley/Missouri in an area with plentiful moisture and good divergence aloft Monday night. Locally heavy rains could compromise saturated soils in the region. As the trailing end of its frontal boundary settles into the southern Plains and Front Range of the Rockies, upslope flow should aid and abet thunderstorm activity across eastern Colorado Tuesday night. Across the southern tier of the country, scattered thunderstorms are expected across the Desert Southwest associated with the Gulf moisture-sponsored summer monsoon and near the Gulf coast where more plentiful moisture is available closer to the warm Gulf waters. The Deep South should remain dry through Tuesday south of the slowly advancing frontal zone and north of the sea breeze convection along the coast. Roth Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php