Weather

Late-season warmth, heat ahead for the Heartland

Tranquil weather will cover much of the country during the next 5 days. In fact, completely dry weather should prevail across much of California, the Great Basin, the northern and central Plains, and the Southeast.

Some precipitation will linger through the weekend, however, in southern Florida, New England, and the Great Lakes region. Five-day rainfall totals in New England could reach 2 to 4 inches. In the western U.S., any precipitation should be limited to the Desert Southwest and the Northwest, with the highest amounts (locally 2 to 4 inches or more) occurring along the northern Pacific Coast and in the northern Cascades.

Meanwhile, cool weather will linger into the weekend in the Midwest and East, while above-normal temperatures will prevail across most of the remainder of the country.

Warmth will expand eastward early next week, while modestly cooler air should arrive in the Northwest.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of near- or above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for cooler-than-normal conditions in the Far West.

Meanwhile, below-normal rainfall in parts of Montana and nearly all areas from the Mississippi Valley eastward should contrast with wetter-than-normal weather in the Pacific Northwest, Four Corners States, and large sections of the Plains.