A very warm, moist, and unstable airmass ahead of a cold front moving southeast through central and eastern portions of the country will again set the stage for widespread showers and thunderstorms along with the threat for severe weather and some flash flooding heading through the end of the week.
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In fact, the Storm Prediction Center has highlighted parts of the southern Plains, Ozarks, Ohio Valley, lower Great Lakes, and central to northern Appalachians with a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms for today and tonight as this cold front approaches and slowly crosses the region.
Large hail and damaging winds will be the main concerns with these areas of stronger thunderstorms.
Locally heavy rainfall is also expected, and locally a few inches of rain will be possible.
The heaviest amounts today should be across areas of west-central to northern Texas, and across central and southern Oklahoma.
The Weather Prediction Center has depicted a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall across this region, and some flash flooding will be possible where these heavy concentrations of showers and thunderstorms occur.
On Thursday, the biggest threat area for severe weather and heavy rain will shift to the Mid-Atlantic states.
The Storm Prediction Center does currently have a Slight Risk of severe weather depicted here with concerns for thunderstorms producing damaging wind gusts.
An isolated concern for some flash flooding will be possible too from these storms producing heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, in the Northeast, a stubborn backdoor cold front sliding southwestward will also continue to trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms across New York and most of New England.
Temperatures will be cooler than normal behind the front, particularly across central and northern New England where highs will be mostly in the 60s today and Thursday.
This will contrast to adjacent areas of the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast where temperatures will be well above normal and reaching well through the 80s and locally into the 90s today.
However, the cold front approaching the region from the west, and along with the threat of rain, will set the stage for cooler temperatures for the latter part of the week.
Over the West, a ridge of high pressure will build aloft leading to mostly tranquil and seasonal conditions.
Temperatures will be within about 10 degrees of normal.
Daytime highs are forecast to be in the 70s in the Pacific Northwest, the 80s for western portions of the Great Basin, and the low 100s in the Desert Southwest.
Highs in the eastern Great Basin will warm up from the 70s today into the 80s Thursday as the ridge shifts a bit eastward.
One exception to these conditions will be the Central Rockies where scattered showers and thunderstorms, as well as a chance for higher elevation snow, will linger today as an upper trough passes through.
The Pacific Northwest will also see shower and thunderstorm chances increase later Thursday as a Pacific storm system approaches the region. ■