Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 400 AM EDT Fri Jun 29 2018 Valid 12Z Fri Jun 29 2018 - 12Z Sun Jul 01 2018 ...Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding possible from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Central Plains Friday and Saturday... ...Hot and humid weather continues into the weekend across the Midwest and into the East... ...Elevated to critical fire weather conditions remain over the Four Corners region through the end of the workweek... Showers and thunderstorms will continue to develop today near a surface low and along an attendant cold front as it pushes eastward through the north central U.S. and into the upper Midwest by this weekend. Some of the storms may contain severe weather and heavy to excessive rainfall, given plenty of moisture and instability present along the cold front. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted areas from the upper Mississippi Valley to the northern/central Plains on Friday within a slight risk for severe thunderstorms, with the slight risk area shifting eastward into parts of the upper Midwest/middle Mississippi Valley on Saturday. Most of these storms should be fairly progressive, but heavy rainfall within some storms may be enough to produce isolated flash flooding, particularly across portions of the upper Midwest on Saturday. Accordingly, WPC has placed this region within a slight risk for excessive rainfall/flash flooding. Strong ridging across the Midwest and into the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast, ahead of the aforementioned system, will continue to allow for very warm and humid conditions into the weekend. Widespread excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect from the central Plains to the western Ohio/Tennessee Valleys with afternoon highs 10 to 20 degrees above normal and heat indices exceeding 100 degrees possible. Both daytime highs and overnight high minimum temperature records are possible across this region. Elsewhere across the U.S., hot, dry, and windy conditions will create an elevated to critical fire weather risk across the Four Corners region of the country. Widespread red flag warnings are in effect across southern Utah and western Colorado. To the north, broad troughing will continue to support scattered showers and storms across the northern Rockies and parts of the Northwest, while showers and storms also continue across the Southeast U.S. as upper level energy interacts with a weakening frontal boundary at the surface. Santorelli Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php