Jul. 29, 2010 5:46 am ET

Showers and thunderstorms stick around into the afternoon from southeastern New England to western Virginia. In central and eastern Virginia and along the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula the stormy conditions should hold off until the early afternoon, but will not end there until the evening. A few of the stronger storms may produce briefly gusty winds and some small hail, but severe thunderstorms are not expected.

Drier conditions should build in from northwest to southeast as a cold front pushes through. Once the front passes by the showers and thunderstorms should come to an end.

Behind that cold front northern New England, most of New York and western Pennsylvania should have a nice day. Mostly sunny skies, low humidity and pleasant temperatures are expected.

High temperatures should be in the 70s from the Appalachian Mountains westward and in the middle 80s to lower 90s east of the mountains. The warmest temperatures should occur in eastern Virginia where the storms hold off the longest.

Ah, summer in the South. Today features plenty of heat, humidity and those pesky afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms.

The best chance of having one of those storms is in eastern North Carolina, central and eastern South Carolina, southeastern Georgia, the northern half of the Florida peninsula and from eastern Tennessee southwest to central Mississippi. However, a shower or thunderstorm is possible anywhere from eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas to the Southeast coast.

While a pop-up shower or thunderstorm is possible across western Oklahoma and western Texas most areas there should stay dry. No thunderstorms are expected in central and southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana today.

High temperatures should generally be in the middle 80s to middle 90s with a few upper 90s possible from central South Carolina through eastern and southern Georgia to northern Florida.

Great weather is in store for the Great Lakes, most of the Ohio Valley and the upper and middle Mississippi Valley. Skies should be mostly sunny with pleasant summer temperatures and lower humidity levels.

Afternoon highs should be in the middle and upper 70s across northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. From southern Minnesota through the southern Great Lakes to the Ohio Valley high temperatures should reach the 80s.

A few pop-up thunderstorms are possible from the Ohio River south through Kentucky and west through southern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. High temperatures in those areas should reach the upper 80s to lower 90s.

Stronger thunderstorms billow up in the late afternoon and evening across central and western sections of North Dakota and South Dakota and in central and eastern Nebraska. Some of the storms could become severe producing large hail and some damaging wind gusts. An isolated tornado is also possible. Temperatures should climb into the upper 80s and lower 90s prior to the thunderstorms.

Southwestern Nebraska and western Kansas will be blazing hot today with high temperatures reaching the middle 90s to near 100 degrees. Unfortunately no natural cooling in the form of thunderstorms is expected today.

The typical summertime thunderstorm pattern across the Southwest gets a bit of a boost today and tomorrow.

An upper level disturbance moving west from Texas increases thunderstorms and rainfall in New Mexico today and tonight and Arizona Friday and Friday night. Locally heavy rainfall of an inch or more in the arid desert area will produce flash flooding. A few of the thunderstorms may contain strong wind gusts over 40 mph as well. Other scattered thunderstorms capable of producing flash flooding are forecast in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming today and Friday.

Thunderstorms in eastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming could turn severe this afternoon and early evening producing large hail and damaging wind gusts. An isolated tornado is also possible with the strongest storms.

The remainder of the region should have a dry day today.

High temperatures should hold in the 60s to lower 70s along the coast and reach the middle 70s to lower 80s just a few miles inland.

High temperatures over most interior valleys should reach the lower to middle 90s this afternoon.

In the deserts high temperatures should be in a 100 to 115 degree range.

[article originally appears at weather.com]