Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 430 AM EDT Fri Jun 05 2020 Valid 12Z Fri Jun 05 2020 - 12Z Sun Jun 07 2020 ...Scattered thunderstorms resume today from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic with highest chance of severe weather in the Mid-Mississippi Valley... ...Highest chance of severe thunderstorms shifts to northern Plains during the weekend ahead of a developing low pressure system... ...Excessive heat continues today across parts of the Southwest... ...Tropical downpours ahead of tropical storm Cristobal could impact the central and eastern Gulf coast and Florida toward the latter half of the weekend... Much of the eastern two-thirds of the country will continue to be under the influence of an anomalously warm and humid air mass for the next couple of days. Daytime heating will once again trigger scattered thunderstorms with the Mid-Mississippi Valley having the highest chance of seeing severe weather today. Meanwhile, a low pressure system currently developing over the Great Basin is forecast to reach the northern Rockies on Saturday. This will shift the threat of severe thunderstorms into the northern Plains through much of the weekend ahead of a warm front and the intensifying low pressure system. Winds will become strong and gusty across the northern and central Rockies and into the northern Plains as the storm center tracks across the region. Cold air behind the storm will be ushered across the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies where wet snow could fall across the higher elevations by Sunday morning. Meanwhile, a cool air mass moving across the Great Lakes will break the heat and humidity across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday. Excessive heat will continue today across parts of the Southwest under a strong upper-level ridge. The persistent hot and dry conditions will support critical fire danger across the Great Basin today, before shifting toward the southern Rockies and easing a bit on Saturday. A significant cool down is expected to reach the West Coast by Saturday behind a cold front, and will continue to penetrate well inland on Sunday. Farther south in Central America, Cristobal has weakened into a tropical depression over the Yucatan Peninsula. The depression is forecast to head north toward the central Gulf Coast during the next couple of days. Although the exact track of Cristobal remains somewhat uncertain at this time, the storm is expected to expand in size as it intensifies over the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical downpours well ahead of the storm could reach many areas along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana eastward to Florida as early as Saturday evening. In addition, winds and waves can be expected to increase along the central Gulf Coast by Sunday morning as the core of Cristobal edges closer toward the region. Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php