Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 500 PM EDT Sat Oct 03 2020 Valid 00Z Sun Oct 04 2020 - 00Z Tue Oct 06 2020 ...There is a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over the eastern coast of the Florida Peninsula... ...Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average over the western third of the Country... ..There are Air Quality Alerts from parts of the Central Rockies/High Plains to the West Coast... Tropical Storm Gamma is forecast to stay away from the U.S., while some of its tropical moisture will spread into the Florida Peninsula, focused in the vicinity of frontal zones. Additional heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Florida through Monday. The WPC has issued a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over the eastern coast of the Florida Peninsula through Sunday morning. The heavy rain will produce mainly localized areas of scattered flash flooding over urban regions, roads, and small streams. In addition, isolated significant flash flooding is possible over areas that have a Slight Risk. The rain could spread to the coastlines of Georgia and the Carolinas and Southern New England Sunday night/Monday morning, but the heaviest rain looks to remain offshore. In terms of the upper-level pattern over the rest of the U.S., ridging will be slow to weaken/flatten over the West causing dry and very warm conditions, while the eastern half of the country sits underneath an upper-level trough and will enjoy fall-like temperatures. Under the Western ridge, record highs are possible across parts of the West Coast and Great Basin through Monday, and across the Southern Rockies into the Southern Plains by Monday. Fire danger is a threat given the pattern. 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 15 degrees below normal are expected across the Midwest through Monday. Morning lows could approach or drop below freezing in parts of the Great Lakes region to Ohio Valley and Appalachians. 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. Ziegenfelder Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php