Weather

Recurring rains to focus on much of the central Plains

Persistent heat across the southern High Plains will contrast with an expanding area of near- or below-normal temperatures that should engulf much of the nation by week’s end. The coolest weather, relative to normal, will affect the northern Plains, especially late in the week.

Meanwhile, the interaction between the Southwestern monsoon circulation and a series of Northern cold fronts will help to focus showers and thunderstorms in several areas, including the Plains (excluding Oklahoma and Texas), Rockies, mid-South, and from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast.

Showers may also linger along and near the Gulf Coast.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for below-normal temperatures across the North from the northern Rockies into the Northeast, while hotter-than-normal weather will prevail in the southern half of the U.S.

Meanwhile, near- or above-normal rainfall across most of the country will contrast with drier-than-normal conditions in much of Texas, the Intermountain West, and from the lower Great Lakes region into the Northeast.