5-Day Weather Forecast Discussion July 8-12
410 PM EDT Fri. July 7, 2006

Short Term

The upper pattern during this period will consist of a trough off the western North American coast, a ridge in the West and a trough in the East. Monsoonal moisture will spread into the southern and central Rockies during this period and will cause afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. A kicker system will track along the northern states and will cause front on Sunday acros the northern Plains. The front will push into the southern Plains which will be the focus for showers and thunderstorms. An upper low over the lower mid-Atlantic will keep temperatures seasonably warm for the season across the mid-Atlantic. Heavy rainfall is forecast with a front pushing through Florida. The system is forecast to remain nearly stationary until a kicker system tracks along the northern border on Saturday and may merge with the system.

Long Term

A ridge in the western Atlantic is forecast to build westward into the Plains. The trough along the West coast will likely result in cooler temperatures and unsettled conditions in the Northwest. The ridge in the Rockies should continue to hold. A frontal boundary and associated trough will push across the Plains and will cause rain and thunderstorms. Models are differing regarding the system but, it appears that the heaviest rainfall will be across the northern Plains and northern Mississippi Valley. A frontal boundary pushing southeast across the Great Lakes and the Northeast will cause rain and thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley into New England Monday and Tuesday. Further south, a ridge will cover the region with diurnal atrocity from the gulf coast into the Southeast.