Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 357 PM EDT Fri Oct 02 2020 Valid 00Z Sat Oct 03 2020 - 00Z Mon Oct 05 2020 ...Flash flooding threat with heavy rain over parts of Florida continues through the weekend... ...Heat continues in the West while cooler than normal temperatures persist in the eastern half of the country... Newly formed Tropical Depression Twenty-Five is forecast to cause tropical storm conditions in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on Saturday. While this tropical system looks to stay away from the U.S., tropical moisture associated with it is spreading into the Florida peninsula. A couple of surface fronts should provide focus for this rainfall, so additional heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Florida during the next few days. Slight Risks of excessive rainfall causing flash flooding are in place for the Gold Coast. Some heavy rain could spread to the coastlines of Georgia and the Carolinas, but the heaviest rain in the Atlantic looks to remain offshore. In terms of the upper-level pattern over the rest of the U.S., ridging will persist over the West causing dry and warm conditions, while the eastern half of the country sits underneath an upper-level trough and will have more fall-like temperatures. Heat Advisories and an Excessive Heat Warning are in place for portions of California, and record highs are possible across parts of California, Oregon, and Arizona, spreading into Nevada early next week. Fire danger is a threat given the pattern--Red Flag Warnings are in place for western portions of California and into Wyoming/Colorado. Air Quality Alerts are also in effect for portions of the West due to the combination of smoke from area fires and the high pressure ridge trapping pollutants near ground level. Meanwhile, cooler than normal temperatures are likely from portions of the Plains eastward. Highs of 10 to 20 degrees below normal are expected across the Midwest for the weekend. Morning lows could approach or drop below freezing in parts of the Great Lakes region to Ohio Valley and Appalachians, and Frost Advisories are in effect, with Freeze Warnings in effect for the northern parts of Michigan. Showers are possible causing generally light precipitation over portions of the Plains to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys toward the Great Lakes. Some snow could mix in with these showers in parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Tate Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php