Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 304 AM EDT Sat Jul 30 2016 Valid 12Z Sat Jul 30 2016 - 12Z Mon Aug 1 2016 ...Heavy rain and strong storms likely from the lower Mississippi valley to the Mid-Atlantic through this weekend... ...Hot weather from the Desert Southwest to Texas... A slow moving area of low pressure along a frontal boundary is expected to bring widespread moderate to localized heavy rainfall from the northern Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for this weekend, with the heaviest rainfall likely falling over Pennsylvania. The trailing front will extend westward to the central Plains, where numerous showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop from Nebraska to Arkansas. Some severe thunderstorms will also be possible. Diurnal thunderstorm activity is likely near the Gulf Coast and Florida, with peak coverage during the afternoon and evening hours. North of the frontal boundary, a cooler and more pleasant air mass will be enjoyed across the Upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes region. Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue across much of Texas with no major forcing mechanisms for organized rainfall expected. Across the western U.S., scattered showers and storms are expected to develop each afternoon, with the best concentration across the elevated regions of Arizona and New Mexico with moisture from the monsoon. It will also be quite hot across the lower elevations of the Desert Southwest. A break in the upper level ridge and a developing cold front will bring cooler conditions for the Pacific Northwest going into the weekend. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php