Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 432 PM EDT Tue Jun 20 2017 Valid 00Z Wed Jun 21 2017 - 00Z Fri Jun 23 2017 ...Tropical storm Cindy is expected to bring very heavy rainfall into the central Gulf Coast... ...Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the western Gulf Coast later on Wednesday... ...Strong to severe thunderstorms should reach the central Plains into the upper Midwest on Thursday... ...Record heat continues in the Desert Southwest... Tropical storm Cindy that formed in the central Gulf of Mexico today will remain the main weather story for the next couple of days as Cindy is forecast to make landfall on the western Gulf Coast Thursday morning. As tropical moisture streams northward and interacts with a subtle boundary near the Gulf Coast, copious amounts of rain is expected to fall from the central Gulf states eastward into the Florida Panhandle and into the interior southeastern U.S. for the next few days. In addition, tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the western Gulf Coast later on Wednesday near where Cindy is forecast to make landfall. The heavy rain is expected to spread well to the east and northeast of the storm center where flash flooding will become a serious threat. Meanwhile, weather systems are moving rather quickly across the northern tier states. A cold front is forecast to trigger some showers and thunderstorms this evening from the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and quickly reaching the northern Appalachians and New England on Wednesday. The front is forecast to move off New England on Thursday bringing the thunderstorms to an end. A fast-moving front currently moving onshore over the Pacific Northwest is forecast to move into the northern Plains on Wednesday. Showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front could become quite strong over the upper Midwest Wednesday afternoon into the evening. By Thursday, the thunderstorm activities should reach the Great Lakes and extend further down into the Midwest and the central Plains as another cool air mass filters into the northern Plains behind the front. Over the Desert Southwest and interior California, excessive heat continues to persist with temperatures again reaching 120 degrees at some locations. The heat is forecast to abate slightly during the next couple of days but will remain at dangerously high levels. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php