Weekend Weather Preview

The holiday weekend will feature a potent cold front in the central U.S. and an ominous low pressure off the Southeast coast. Outside of these soggy, stormy areas, it should be a near perfect time to head outdoors.

Saturday
The main weather feature throughout the U.S. on Saturday will be a cold front slowly advancing across the central U.S. The leading edge of this cold front will bring rain and thunderstorms to the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi Valley into the central and southern Plains. Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms will also soak the Rockies and Front Range along the trailing edge of this front.

With both areas, there will be the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms. The greatest concern within thunderstorms will be damaging wind gusts. However, large hail and an isolated, brief tornado cannot be ruled out. Repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rain could also be a possibility, leading to localized flooding.

The other concern on Saturday will be a low pressure system with deep tropical moisture hovering off the coast of the Southeast. The heaviest rain and thunderstorms will soak the entire Florida Peninsula. Though showers and thunderstorms will be in the forecast for the entire Southeast coast as well as parts of the central Gulf Coast.

The rest of the Eastern Seaboard will be under high pressure, allowing for largely dry weather. All areas west of the Rocky Mountains will also remain quiet on Saturday.

The coolest spots on Saturday will occur in the Northwest, Great Basin, Rockies and northern Plains. Here, temperatures will only reach the upper 60s, 70s, and lower 80s. The tallest elevations will be even cooler, with highs in the 50s and 60s. The Upper Mississippi Valley and Northeast will also see the mercury climb into the 70s and lower 80s.

Otherwise, 80s and 90s will be most common across the U.S., including most of the Plains into the Midwest, Deep South and Southeast. California will most see 80s and 90s, but triple digit heat is expected for southern California into the Desert Southwest.
 
Sunday
The cold front from Saturday will shift slightly east for the conclusion of the holiday weekend, while the low pressure system with deep tropical moisture continues to lurk off the East Coast.

Expect two main areas of rain and thunderstorms associated with the cold front in the central U.S. One will be oriented from the Great Lakes and Midwest into the southern Plains, while the second remains over portions of central/southern Rockies and northern/central High Plains. Like Saturday, there will continue to be the possibility of heavy rain and gusty thunderstorms.

With the tropical low pressure system, most of the rain and storms will now be found across the eastern Carolinas into the Delmarva Peninsula. Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast and Florida Peninsula see more of a typical summer sea breeze pattern.

High pressure will remain settled over the rest of East Coast and western U.S. It will be another dry day here as a result.

Temperatures will generally max out in the 70s from the Northwest and northern Rockies to the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Sixties are possible though for the highest elevations in the Rockies, while a few 80s cannot be ruled out in the interior Northwest. The rest of the nation will mainly contend with 80s and 90s, though 100s and even perhaps a few 110s will occur in the Desert Southwest.