Daily briefing: Storms from Ozarks to Northeast, dangerous heat

Rounds of storms impact parts of the Gulf Coast, and a slow-moving front and low pressure impact the Central Plains through the Northeast. All of this, along with today's tropical outlook, is included in the daily briefing, published every weekday at 5 a.m. ET.

The same front that has been slowly moving over the Midwest will finally reach the Northeast on Friday. This front still extends to the Ozarks, where storms will be present during the early morning, with some producing frequent lightning and torrential rains. This front will retract northward and impact the lower Great Lakes region in the afternoon. Chicago's storms arrive shortly before 2 p.m. and linger, likely as showers through the evening.

The cold front will move across the Northeast between noon and 6 p.m. The rain will be moving from northwest to southeast, likely reaching New York City after 3 p.m. Boston is also likely to start receiving passing storms after 1 p.m., and skies should clear out by 7 p.m. The cold front will not make it all the way through; instead, a warm front will be moving through early in the weekend, so the winds will continue to blow in from the southwest, allowing temperatures to rise and become dangerously hot on Friday. Cities like Philadelphia are likely to experience heat indices soaring to 105°F.

Don't undermine the heat! Dangerously hot temperatures will prevail on Friday across the entire Northeast. Highs from Virginia through New England will be in the mid-to-upper 90s, and lows on Saturday morning will struggle to drop below 78 degrees for the same area. Across the Central Plains, the heat experienced on Thursday will be a bit less intense. But please stay hydrated. Highs will once again be between the mid- to upper 90s, and humidity will persist, likely making many cities and towns feel like they are in the triple digits.

Lower-than-average temperatures are sticking around the West. A set of troughs and low-pressure systems will continue to sit along the California coast, keeping the onshore flow. A low-pressure system over the Southwest will bring a few more clouds, allowing temperatures to remain slightly below average for this time of year. Please note that temperatures are expected to rise over the Four Corners region, including much of Arizona, during the weekend and into next week.

Rounds of heavy rains will continue to impact areas from Louisiana through the Texas Coast. The low-pressure system remains very broad and is not yet acquiring a low-level center of circulation, organized enough to become a depression or, much less, a tropical storm. Regardless, as our WeatherRadar shows, heavy rounds of rain and storms are expected today before the moisture moves inland. The Gulf Coast states are expected to return to a summer-like weather pattern this weekend.

Do you know our app that provides an Air Quality Index for your city? Summers can bring oppressive heat, but when a high-pressure system sets up camp, the sinking air is not only extra hot; other contaminants can also sink to the surface, affecting air quality. Check it out, here.