I_TU

Weather Underground Forecast for Friday, August 29, 2008. Developing Tropical Storm Gustav will continue to be the focus of potential serious weather for the next several days. Upon tracking across Jamaica, the storm is expected to turn to the northwest and gradually intensify into a strong hurricane. It is expected to be a Category 1 or 2 hurricane by the end of Friday as it moves steadily towards the western tip of Cuba. When it enters the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, it will be a major Category 3 storm with an eye on the Gulf Coast. Residents along the Gulf Coast should monitor this storm very closely. For more information, please see http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/.

Meanwhile, a broadening ridge of high pressure will move through the heart of the country and bring dry conditions to many areas.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop from the Southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley. Scattered showers are also possible along the Southeast Coast.

Also, monsoonal moisture will continue to creep into the Southwest and instigate scattered showers and thunderstorms in Arizona and New Mexico. The heaviest precipitation, however, will remain south of the border.

The Southeast will rise into the 90s and some 100s, while the Southern Plains will experience more widespread triple digit temperatures. The Northeast will rise into the 70s and 80s, while California will once again experience temperatuers well into the 100s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of 29 degrees at Stanley, Idaho to a high of 122 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.