Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 310 AM EDT Fri Oct 4 2019 Valid 12Z Fri Oct 4 2019 - 12Z Sun Oct 6 2019 ...Another day of record heat possible across parts of the Southeast on Friday... ...Elevated to critical fire weather threats on Friday from eastern Utah to southern Wyoming... A very impressive late season heat wave that has set numerous high temperature records for the month of October is finally showing signs of abatement. The stubborn upper level ridge that has been anchored across the southern U.S. over the past week will weaken as the overall upper level pattern changes by the end of the week. A strong cold front will pass through the Mid-Atlantic region and the Northeast by Friday morning, ushering in a much more pleasant autumnal airmass. The frontal boundary is expected to stall across interior portions of the Southeast U.S. by Friday afternoon, and the result will be a continuation of very unseasonable heat from Texas to the southeast Coast with additional record highs likely. Given the relatively dry atmosphere across the eastern U.S., the passage of the front should be rain-free for most areas, thus providing no relief from developing short-term drought conditions. A second cold front moving across the Rockies on Friday will bring unsettled weather to parts of the Intermountain West and northern Rockies, with light snow accumulations possible for the highest terrain. To the south, dry and gusty winds will likely contribute to an elevated fire weather threat on Friday from eastern Utah to Colorado and southern Wyoming. As this system ejects out of the Rockies on Friday night across the northern Plains, showers and thunderstorms will develop ahead of the cold front from the Central Plains to the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, accompanied by periods of moderate to locally heavy rainfall. Hamrick Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php