Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 417 PM EDT Wed Jul 01 2020 Valid 00Z Thu Jul 02 2020 - 00Z Sat Jul 04 2020 ...Flash flooding and thunderstorms possible in the Tennessee Valley tonight... ...Fire threat ongoing across the Great Basin... ...Hot temperatures likely for the Plains and Upper Midwest into the weekend... Broadly speaking, a pair of upper-level lows on the west and east coasts will move off to the north and east, respectively, as an upper-level ridge expands over the central U.S over the next couple of days.. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to wind down across the Northeast, but continue for the Southeast tonight. Meanwhile, a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall is in effect for parts of the Tennessee Valley as the threat for flash flooding will linger along a stationary boundary. The chance for thunderstorms continues across the Southeast and Tennessee Valley through the next couple of days along that same persistent stationary boundary. An approaching cold front, dry conditions, and winds near 20 mph lead to the Storm Prediction Center issuing an elevated area of fire weather risk for the Great Basin and Rockies with a hatched area of critical risk for eastern Nevada into western Utah for tonight. The elevated risk area will continue into tomorrow as similar, but slightly weaker conditions are expected. The upper-level ridge currently stationed over the Southern Plains will expand northward tomorrow, which will lead to hot temperatures across the Great Plains and the Upper Midwest, in particular, through Friday. Temperatures over the Upper Great Lakes are likely to be 15-20 degrees above average through Friday with potentially lower temperatures across the northern portion of the Upper Peninsula due to a light sea breeze effect off of Lake Superior. While the highest concentration of Saharan dust has dissipated, the next round impacting the western and central Gulf Coast states today should persist into late week. The primary impacts of the Saharan dust are hazy skies during the day, locally reduced visibility, degraded air quality, and the potential for vividly colorful sunrises and sunsets. Kebede Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php