Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 331 AM EDT Thu Oct 24 2024 Valid 12Z Thu Oct 24 2024 - 12Z Sat Oct 26 2024 ...Pleasant weather continues across most of the country through the end of the week... ...Well above-average temperatures continue over the Central and Southern U.S... A quiet and relatively uneventful fall weather pattern will continue to be in place across the continental U.S. through the end of the week, with high pressure keeping mainly sunny skies in place across the Central and Eastern U.S. and the warm conditions continuing across the Plains and southern tier states. A cold front approaching the East Coast will herald the arrival of more autumnal temperatures for Thursday with highs falling 10 to 20 degrees for many areas from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast compared to Wednesday. Even warmer conditions are likely for the central and southern Plains to close out the work week, with highs running up to 20 degrees above normal for late October, with the potential for additional record highs. In terms of precipitation prospects, scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely for the Midwest states ahead of the next cold front dropping south across the Northern Plains on Thursday and into Thursday night. A more concentrated corridor of heavier rainfall is expected from eastern Iowa to northern Illinois on Thursday, with the potential for a few strong thunderstorms in the warm sector of the surface low. There may also be a few showers in easterly flow across the Florida Peninsula. Out West, some showers and high elevation snow are expected from eastern Idaho to Wyoming and southern Montana with a shortwave upper trough moving through the region. Looking ahead to Friday, onshore flow ahead of a Pacific cold front will lead to light to moderate rain developing across western Oregon and Washington, but not considered an atmospheric river event. The combination of very warm conditions, dry grounds, and increased winds across the Central Plains will raise the potential for wildfires, based on the SPC fire weather outlook on Thursday. There may also be some fire weather concerns across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast on Thursday in the wake of a dry cold front, with dry conditions and gusty winds developing. Hamrick Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php