Midwest

Weather Underground Forecast for Thursday, August 28, 2008. The developing story over the next several days will be strengthening Tropical Storm Gustav. The storm will remain well away from the coast for several days, but is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday afternoon. It will then move across western Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Very early forecast tracks take it towards the Gulf Coast by Monday night.

The remnants of Fay will meander through the Ohio Valley and produce showers and thunderstorms from the Ohio Valley through the Mid-Atlantic. Scattered showers are also possible in the Southeast and into parts of southern New England.

A front will swing through the Plains and Great Lakes, instigating another round of showers and moderate thunderstorms from Kansas through Wisconsin and Michigan.

Seasonal monsoonal moisture will continue to creep into the Southwest, aiding in the production of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Four Corners region.

A broad high pressure system will extend from the West Coast to the Plains. This system will provide dry and very hot temperatures for much of the West. Record high temperatures are even very possible for many areas.

The Northeast will rise into the 70s and 80s, while the Southeast will see temperatures in the 80s and 90s. The Southern Plains will rise into the 90s and some 100s, while the Southwest and California will see temperatures well into the 100s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a low of 24 degrees at Boulder, Wyo. to a high of 118 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.