U.S.: Southwest continues to bake; storms in Great Lakes
KEY POINTS
- Severe storms may produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes
- Dry conditions are expected to persist along the West Coast over the next few days
An upper level shortwave is the driving force behind unsettled weather in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes today and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Thursday.
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A surface low will accompany the upper shortwave, tracking across the Great Lakes and New England through Thursday night with showers and thunderstorms, some of which may be strong to severe.
It is imperative to practice heat safety as temps rise this week.
Severe storms may produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes.
Additionally, locally heavy rainfall could cause scattered instances of flash flooding.
The severe weather threat will shift into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday where the SPC has highlighted a Slight Risk of Severe Thunderstorms.
Damaging winds, a couple tornadoes, isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding will be the main threats.
Scattered severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail will also be possible.
Dry conditions are expected to persist along the West Coast over the next few days.
Abnormally dry and breezy conditions will result in dangerous fire weather conditions, especially over northeastern California, southeast Oregon, and northwest Nevada in the Critical Fire Weather Risk area highlighted by the SPC.
Later this week, the low pressure system over the Northeast will weaken while another frontal system sinks south from Canada.
This system will trigger showers and thunderstorms in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Thursday afternoon into Friday, and showers and storm coverage will expand into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic late Friday into Saturday.
Widely scattered severe thunderstorms will be possible with convective activity in the Midwest.
Daily diurnal showers and storms are forecast to persist across the Four Corners region and along the sea breeze in the South and Southeast, and a record-setting heat wave will continue in the Southwest through the end of this week.
Broad upper level ridging will expand from the Southwest to the Northeast over the next few days, and above average temperatures are forecast for much of the nation.
High temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s are forecast from the Southwest to the Upper Midwest today and Thursday, and heat will spread into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Friday with highs in the 90s to near 100.
Nighttime lows will also be above average across most of the nation, by as much as 10-15 degrees in some locations.
It is imperative to practice heat safety as temps rise this week. ■