Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 234 PM EDT Tue Jul 03 2018 Valid 00Z Wed Jul 04 2018 - 00Z Fri Jul 06 2018 ...Above average heat for July shifts from the East back into the Plains and eventually the Great Basin/Southwest by Friday... Another area of heavy rain is likely across parts of the Dakotas, Iowa, and Minnesota (near where flooding occurred this morning) with another low pressure system that will be crossing the northern Plains today into Wednesday, with the surface low strengthening while moving northeast through Canada. Showers and thunderstorms with this system will spread eastward through the Great Lakes Wednesday and Thursday before moving into the Northeast Thursday afternoon into Friday. A stalled front in the the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic States today and tomorrow along with moist flow off the north Atlantic ocean will be the impetus for areas of showers and thunderstorms from Pennsylvania to eastern New England today and throughout the Mid-Atlantic States and Southeast tomorrow. To the south across the Gulf Coast region, within an easterly flow regime, a convective low pressure system will enhance showers and storms from southern Mississippi to southeast Texas, with locally heavy rain that may cause flooding issues across Louisiana and Texas this afternoon through July 4th. Dry conditions are expected to continue for most of the western U.S., which when combined with the warm temperatures, has led to a number of Red Flag Warnings for fire danger from the Columbia Basin through the Great Basin into eastern Colorado. The ongoing heat wave across the eastern U.S. is reaching its peak today and tomorrow, with heat rebuilding across the central Plains/Midwest. An impressive upper level ridge is in place over the eastern U.S. which builds/expands westward over the next few days. Heat advisories and heat warnings are in effect from the central Plains into the Northeast. High temperatures in the 90s to near 100F, combined with high dewpoints, is expected result in heat indices of 95 to 110 degrees for many areas. Overnight lows will also be quite sultry, especially in urban areas where readings could remain above 75 degrees all night through Wednesday night. As the ridge aloft builds westward, the excessive heat shifts into the Desert and Great Basin, with record warm low (70s-90s) and some high temperatures (90s-110s) forecast, mainly across the Desert Southwest. Roth/Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php