A cold/occluded frontal system clashing with a weak warm front will continue to support formation of strong to severe thunderstorms across the upper Midwest early this morning.
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These thunderstorms will generally lose intensity as they move into the Great Lakes through the rest of today.
The relatively fast motion of the front will limit rainfall amounts.
However, there is still the potential for isolated heavy totals, that could result in localized flooding, especially over urbanized regions.
The deep low pressure system associated with the fronts are moving farther away into central Canada.
There will not be much temperature relief in the wake of the fronts from the much above average temperatures currently stretching across the Plains into the mid- to upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes.
These regions will continue to see some late summer heat over the next two days.
An Alberta clipper will take shape and will then usher in a fresh dose of cool air from western Canada through the northern Rockies followed by northern Plains this weekend.
There is not expected to be large areas of heavy rains across the lower 48 over the next two days.
Exceptions will be across southeastern New England where a slow-moving low off the southeast New England coast will keep conditions wet Friday and Saturday.
Showery weather will also likely to persist across South Florida where tropical moisture will bring the potential for localized heavy rains and isolated urban flash flooding from daily thunderstorms.
A strong mid to upper level low moving onshore into the central to southern California coast will be pressing eastward for the next couple of days across the Southwest and into the Four Corners region.
There is not expected to be any large areas of precipiation associated with this strong mid to upper level low across central to southern California into the Southwest.
However, during Saturday, higher levels of moisture are expected to be transported northward ahead of the mid to upper level low into the central to southern Rockies and southern High Plains as the moisture begins to interact with a surge of cool air from the north.
This interaction will initiate an increasingly large precipitation event, first across portions of the central to Southern Rockies on Saturday, then expanding eastward Saturday evening/night into the central Plains and lower Missouri Valley, and then toward the Mid-Mississippi Valley early on Sunday.
In addition, the potential of severe thunderstorms will increase later on Saturday into early Sunday over the southern High Plains ahead of a cold front and a dry line.
In addition, cold air behind the front will change the rain to wet snow over the Colorado Rockies early on Sunday. ■
Predominant upper-level ridging stretching from the Southwest to the southern High Plains will allow for another day of record-breaking heat across parts of Nevada and Arizona today.