Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 345 AM EDT Mon Aug 24 2015 Valid 12Z Mon Aug 24 2015 - 12Z Wed Aug 26 2015 ...Cold front to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the eastern U.S... ...Cool and dry conditions expected for much of the central U.S... ...Dry conditions expected to persist across the Northwest through the next couple days... A strong cold front for August continues to move eastward across the Ohio valley and Lower Great Lakes early this morning. The front will move into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states by this evening, with scattered showers and thunderstorms expected along and ahead of the front across much of the eastern U.S. -- from the Northeast to the Southeast and Gulf Coast. The front will move relatively slowly, and showers and thunderstorms are expected to persist across the Northeast on Tuesday, while much of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, except for coastal areas, will dry out on Tuesday as the front passes. Moisture wrapping around the low pressure system will also keep scattered showers in the picture today and Tuesday across much of the Great Lakes. Behind the cold front, a cooler and drier air mass has overspread much of the plans and the Midwest. Afternoon high temperatures today are expected to be 5 to 15 degrees below average in many areas. Temperatures are forecast to be as much as 20 degrees below average over the northern Great Lakes as clouds and scattered showers remain in place. These below average temperatures will persist into Tuesday, while spreading east into parts of the Appalachians. The atmosphere will provide little in the way of assistance to fire fighting efforts in the northwestern U.S., as dry conditions are expected to remain in place over the next couple days. A cold front will pass through the region today into Tuesday -- but the system will be starved for moisture and will be lacking any precipitation. Ryan Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php