Following a brief reprieve from extreme heat, the northern and central Plains will experience a return of above normal temperatures during the second half of the week.  Meanwhile, excessively hot, dry weather will persist across the southcentral U.S., where high temperatures will regularly exceed 100°F.  Hot, dry weather will also dominate the West, although scattered showers may develop in the Four Corners region.  Farther east, brief showers may affect the Midwest and Northeast, although 5-day totals should total mostly an inch or less. 

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