Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 400 AM EDT Mon Jul 03 2017 Valid 12Z Mon Jul 03 2017 - 12Z Wed Jul 05 2017 ...Dry and hot weather in the western U.S. but cool over the Great Lakes... ...Scattered thunderstorms across much of the eastern two-thirds the country into Independence Day... The upper-level pattern across the U.S. mainland will continue to favor a broad trough in the east while a ridge will begin to build in the west as we head into the fourth of July holiday. This will allow cooler than normal and mainly fine weather to prevail from across the Great Lakes into New England while the heat will begin to intensify once again in the West. Meanwhile, summer heat and humidity will continue from across the central Plains eastward into the Mid-Atlantic and further south down into the Gulf Coast and Florida. Scattered thunderstorms will be the rule for the next few days in these areas but the strongest storms are expected to remain over the central Plains. Meanwhile, much of the West will remain dry for the next few days. The strong July solar radiation will begin to heat up the interior mountains, and high temperatures are expected to gradually increase each day. Some locations in the Intermountain region will reach the century mark today and on Independence Day while much of the Desert Southwest will see temperatures soaring into the 110s on the fourth of July, where the fire danger will remain at very high levels. The only cool places will be along the immediate coast. The afternoon heat is expected to trigger only a few showers and thunderstorms over the interior mountains. Farther to the east, thunderstorms should be somewhat more numerous over the central to southern Rockies during the afternoon and early evening hours. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php