Hot, mostly dry weather will dominate the western half of the country, with extreme heat persisting in most areas and returning during the weekend across the Northwest. Little or rain will fall during the next 5 days from the Pacific Coast to the High Plains. Meanwhile, cooler air will gradually replace very warm, humid conditions across the eastern half of the U.S. By early next week, lingering heat and humidity should be mostly limited to the lower Southeast, including Florida.

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