Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 405 PM EDT Thu Sep 08 2016 Valid 00Z Fri Sep 09 2016 - 00Z Sun Sep 11 2016 ...The central Plains will be the focus of heavy rain and strong thunderstorms through the rest of the week... ...Much cooler air is expected to spread across the northern Rockies into the northern Plains... ...Summer heat returns to the eastern U.S.... As the remnants of Hermine finally dissipate near the New England coast, a ridge of high pressure will become the dominant feature across the eastern U.S. Southwesterly return flow around the ridge will bring increasingly warm and moist air northward into the eastern U.S. for the next few days. Afternoon high temperatures will once again soar well up into the 90s as far north as southern New England on Friday before a back door cold front brings cooler air from the northeast. Meanwhile, warm and moist air streaming northward from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of a frontal system will continue to fuel showers and strong thunderstorms from the central Plains through the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley this evening. The front will continue to be the focus for more heavy rain across the central Plains on Friday as cooler air begins to push steadily southeastward from the northern Rockies into the Plains. The cold front associated with the leading edge of the cool air is forecast to merge with the frontal system. The additional push of energy ahead of this front could trigger heavier rains along with strong to severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening from the central Plains into the mid-Mississippi Valley as well as the Midwest. Cooler air will then infiltrate much of the Rockies and into the Plains states where afternoon temperatures could average more than 10 degrees cooler than normal. The cool airmass should continue to spread towards the south and east reaching Texas by Saturday. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php