Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 359 PM EDT Thu Jun 15 2017 Valid 00Z Fri Jun 16 2017 - 00Z Sun Jun 18 2017 ...Heavy thunderstorms from the central Plains to the Midwest for the next couple of days... ...Scattered showers and thunderstorms linger over the eastern U.S.... ...Heat is building across portions of California and the Desert Southwest... An occluded low pressure system is expected to move slowly eastward across southern Canada during the next couple of days while gradually weakens. The trailing frontal boundaries will linger across the Great Lakes and into the mid-Atlantic. This will keep the chance of showers and thunderstorms over much of the eastern U.S. down to the Gulf coast into the weekend. Cool and fine weather over New England will be replaced by showers and thunderstorms moving in from the west on Friday, but they should taper off by Saturday morning. Over the central Plains, a lingering front will increase the chance of strong to severe thunderstorms through tonight. As the low pressure system moves slowly eastward over southern Canada, the best chance of thunderstorms should edge progressively eastward toward the Midwest each day. A fast-moving Pacific front will continue to spread rain showers from the coastal sections into the interior portions of the Pacific Northwest through tonight, reaching the Intermountain West on Friday. By Saturday, the rain should move into the northern Plains as a cold front becomes better-defined and begins to interact with the lingering front over the central Plains. California and the Desert Southwest will continue to be under the influence of a strong high pressure cell aloft. This will promote hot and dry weather in these areas. In fact, the heat is forecast to intensify as the weekend progresses. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php