Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 132 AM EDT Sat Jul 04 2020 Valid 12Z Sat Jul 04 2020 - 12Z Mon Jul 06 2020 ...Severe thunderstorms possible over the northern Plains today... ...Showers and storms over the eastern Gulf Coast to the lower Mississippi Valley... ...Staying warm/hot in the Upper Midwest and across much of Texas... Slow-moving pattern will bring much of the same to the U.S. this weekend. A frontal boundary will act as a focus for showers/rain and thunderstorms from eastern Montana to northern Minnesota today. Some thunderstorms may be severe. To the east of this system, high pressure over Wisconsin will promote very warm temperatures (possibly near record highs for some locations) across the region into the Midwest. Over the Northeast, a back-door cold front will maintain cooler than normal temperatures for coastal areas today with a moderation expected on Sunday. Scattered showers/storms may accompany the front today as it dips into the Mid-Atlantic. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected near and along a stationary frontal boundary from the Mid-South to the eastern half of the Gulf Coast region, with some potential for flash flooding due to some localized heavy rain totals. Over Texas, temperatures are forecast to reach into the upper 90s and low 100s to the southwest of the frontal boundary. Southwesterly flow aloft over the Great Basin supports breezy conditions and low relative humidity values at the surface where fire danger is elevated. Remnant Saharan dust continues to linger across the Gulf Coast region into Florida, which will slowly fade into next 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. Fracasso Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php