Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 409 PM EDT Thu Aug 27 2020 Valid 00Z Fri Aug 28 2020 - 00Z Sun Aug 30 2020 ...Hurricane Laura continues north through the Lower Mississippi Valley tonight, and into the Mid-South on Friday... ...Severe storms and flash flooding possible from the Northern Plains and Great Lakes into the Northeast tonight and Friday... ...Summer sizzle continues across much of the country, raging wildfires continue in the West... Laura made landfall last night as a dangerous category 4 hurricane packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Laura will continue its trek north and northeast tonight with tropical storm force winds and torrential rainfall spreading across the Middle Mississippi/Tennessee Valley. Additional power outages and tree damage is likely to occur farther north across Arkansas. Also, there are a pair of Moderate Risks for flash flooding; one over much of Arkansas, and another over southeast Louisiana. A Slight Risk for flash flooding stretches up the Mississippi River from New Orleans into southern Missouri. The threat for severe weather and flash flooding continue tonight through Saturday along Laura's path from the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley through the Tennessee/Ohio Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic. Laura will quickly weaken to a tropical depression and then a post-tropical storm Friday night into Saturday morning. It will still generate heavy showers and storms across the Appalachians and eventually into parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Severe weather and flash flooding will not only be confined to Hurricane Laura, but also to the northern tier states as a pair of frontal boundaries trigger strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Tonight, a Slight Risk for severe weather extends from the Northern Plains and Great Lakes to the Northeast. An Enhanced Risk for severe storms was issued for South Dakota and the Northeast. There is also an opportunity for excessive rainfall as Slight Risks are located over portions of the Northern Plains, Great Lakes and Appalachian plateau. By Friday, the severe threat shifts slightly farther south through the eastern Corn Belt while the potential for flash flooding encompasses much of the Great Lakes. Temperature-wise, a late season heat wave in the Midwest will stick around for at least one more day (Friday) with high temperatures in the mid-upper 90s. The heat wave will soon come to an end as a cold front ushers in a refreshing shot of Canadian air this weekend. Abnormally hot conditions will also materialize over the Southwest, central High Plains and Mid-Atlantic where a handful of daily record highs could be broken. Excessive Heat Warnings remain in effect along the southern Colorado River Basin and across much of southern Arizona. Friday's hottest temperatures will occur in west Texas as daily max temps reach the triple digits and even challenge daily record highs. Through Saturday, record warm lows will be common across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. The western U.S. wildfires look to continue with slightly less dry thunderstorm activity then recent days; a welcome development for so many in the West. Kebede/Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php