(AP) — The first day of summer will arrive in character, as a massive dome of excessive heat will linger over much of the middle of the nation today.
Even though this wheel of heat will hold strong over the South Central states, it will wobble enough to allow temperatures to dip to near normal levels for a day or two this week over the northern Plains, Ohio Valley and coastal Southeast.
Cool air will hold in general over the Northeast as showers hold back extreme heat over the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic.
Storms will erupt, soak and cool parts of the deserts and southern Rockies.
A few storms will mitigate heat over South Florida and the northern tier of the Plains.
With the aid of sunshine, temperatures will trend upward over the western quarter of the nation with the first heat of the season forecast for parts of the Northwest this weekend.
The tropics remain quiet, with no troublesome development expected for the next several days.