California to see triple digits as thunderstorms rumble across Gulf Coast
LOS ANGELES - While thunderstorms rumble across the eastern U.S. this weekend, southern California is bracing for a heat wave.
Multiple rounds of precipitation are possible through the weekend.
The National Weather Service warned Florida and southern Georgia residents on Saturday that strong-to-severe thunderstorms could bring large hail, strong winds and a few tornadoes on Saturday after a twister in Hosford and similar conditions last week.
Several waves of potentially heavy rainfall are expected into the evening, leading to a slight risk of excessive rainfall issuance for the Florida panhandle, southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia.
Conditions across the Southeast are expected to improve during the Sunday morning hours as a low-pressure system pushes northward along the Eastern Seaboard.
In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, Sunday will be wet, with region-wide rainfall totals of an inch or more.
Some areas, including in central Pennsylvania and northern coastal New England, experience upwards of 2 to 3 inches.
Furthermore, severe thunderstorms will be of concern across eastern North Carolina, especially early Sunday morning.
Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes will be possible there as well. As a result, the Storm Prediction Center has placed the area at a slight risk for severe thunderstorms.
While below-average temperatures are expected in the Midwest and Great Lakes, temperatures could reach the triple digits in parts of the Golden State.
Highs in California's Central Valley and Mojave and Sonoran deserts are projected to reach the 90s and even 100s in localized areas.
The agency said that a few locations along the West Coast and in the Southwest could challenge daily high-temperature records this weekend.
Western heat will accelerate snowmelt and bring potential for flooding, and more rain is anticipated next week.
RELATED: Yosemite's epic snowmelt could spell trouble for national park bracing for spring closure
Much of Yosemite National Park's Yosemite Valley is temporarily closed Saturday due to a forecast of flooding amid rising temperatures.
"Western Yosemite Valley will remain open but could close if traffic congestion or parking issues become unmanageable," the park tweeted.
The eastern section of Yosemite Valley will stay shut at least until May 3.