601  
FXUS01 KWBC 260635  
PMDSPD  
 
SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
233 AM EDT THU MAR 26 2026  
 
VALID 12Z THU MAR 26 2026 - 12Z SAT MAR 28 2026  
   
..RECORD-BREAKING HEAT EXPANDS INTO THE MIDWEST TODAY
 
 
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY ACROSS THE MID-MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO  
VALLEYS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...  
 
...MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN U.S.  
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...  
 
RECORD-BREAKING HEAT HAS BEEN MAKING HEADLINES OVER THE PAST  
COUPLE WEEKS, AND WE AREN'T DONE WITH IT YET. ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND PLAINS AND  
EXPAND INTO THE MIDWEST TODAY. THE GREATEST TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES  
ARE EXPECTED FROM THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS TO ILLINOIS AND  
INDIANA, WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO REACH 25-35  
DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE. TEMPERATURES WILL CHALLENGE NUMEROUS DAILY  
RECORDS TODAY FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE MIDWEST. THE INTENSITY OF  
THE HEAT SHOULD TURN DOWN A NOTCH ON FRIDAY, BUT ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES ARE STILL EXPECTED IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST.  
 
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING RELIEF FROM THE HEAT TO THE CENTRAL  
AND EASTERN U.S. BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH  
SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE NATION TODAY, THEN PUSH PAST  
THE SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN U.S. ON FRIDAY. CONDITIONS WILL  
BE FAVORABLE FOR SCATTERED SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE  
MID-MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS  
EVENING. POTENTIAL STORM HAZARDS WILL INCLUDE VERY LARGE HAIL, A  
FEW TORNADOES, AND SEVERE WIND GUSTS. ELSEWHERE ALONG THE FRONT,  
ISOLATED PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH WINTRY  
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER. STRONG HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN U.S. IN THE  
WAKE OF THE FRONT, WHICH WILL USHER IN DRIER WEATHER AND COLDER  
TEMPERATURES FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP AS  
MUCH AS 20-30 DEGREES ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE STRONG COLD FRONT.  
 
IN THE WESTERN U.S., THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES  
SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION, RESULTING IN ONLY LIMITED RELIEF FROM THE  
HEAT. THE FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS  
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THIS MORNING, THEN THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL  
BE MAINLY DRY ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND SOUTHWEST. THE FRONT WILL  
ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS, WHICH WILL SUPPORT  
ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND PLAINS TODAY.  
 
DOLAN  
 
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/BASICWX/BASICWX_NDFD.PHP  
 

 
 
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