Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 520 AM EDT Thu Sep 29 2022 Valid 12Z Thu Sep 29 2022 - 12Z Sat Oct 01 2022 ...Hurricane Ian weakens into a tropical storm after landfall but continues to bring damaging winds, prolific rainfall amounts and life-threatening flash flooding across the north-central portion of Florida Peninsula... ...Ian is forecast to make another landfall across the southeastern U.S. on Friday with strong winds and storm surge near the coast, and widespread heavy rain spreading well inland across the Southeast U.S... ...Cool high pressure system will dominate the eastern half of the country outside of Ian as heat in the West will give way to rain and cooler temperatures moving into the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies... Hurricane Ian remains the major weather headline this morning following Ian's landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida yesterday afternoon as a powerful category-4 hurricane. Although Ian has weakened considerably while over land, damaging winds are still expected to impact areas well inland as the center of Ian is forecast to traverse the north-central portion of the Florida Peninsula and then emerge into the Atlantic as early as this morning. Meanwhile, Ian's continued interaction with a front will help focus an axis of prolific rainfall totals of up to 30 inches near and just north of the track of Ian's core circulation. This frontal interaction will gradually cause Ian to lose tropical characteristics. However, when the center of Ian moves into the warm waters of the Gulf Stream later today and into Friday, thunderstorm activities that develop will help maintain the intensity and tropical identity of Ian before another landfall is forecast later on Friday. A period of high winds with storm surge near the coast is possible should Ian re-intensify over the Gulf Stream. In the mean time, widespread heavy rain is forecast to advance well inland as a warm front moves onshore to the northeast of Ian. Preliminary estimates indicate that widespread 3 to 5 inches of rain could fall across the Mid-Atlantic, increasing to 7 inches near where Ian is forecast to make landfall. After landfall later on Friday, Ian is forecast to lose tropical characteristics and become an extratropical low while moving inland toward the southern Appalachians by Saturday morning. Elsewhere, fall-like cool temperatures will prevail across much of the eastern half of the country outside of Ian under the influence of an expansive high pressure system from Canada. Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories are in effect this morning for parts of the Great Lakes as well as the interior Northeast. The high pressure system will weaken by the weekend, allowing temperatures to rebound some as Ian is forecast to make landfall on the Southeast U.S. coast. Across the western U.S., above-average temperatures will give way to rain and cooler temperatures as a low pressure system moves into the Pacific Northwest, reaching the northern Rockies by Friday and into the weekend. High-elevation wet snow is possible over northwestern Wyoming by Friday morning. The Desert Southwest will still be hot as afternoon temperatures are forecast to soar to near the century mark for the next couple of days. Meanwhile, some monsoonal moisture is forecast to return for the Four Corners region. Kong Graphics are available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php