For the remainder of the week, temperatures typical of early autumn will blanket much of the country, with lingering heat mostly confined to the Far West and Deep South.  Meanwhile, a cold front currently stretching from the Great Lakes States to the southern Plains will drift eastward, reaching the Atlantic Seaboard around the middle of the week.  Rainfall associated with the cold front should total an inch or less in most areas, except 1 to 2 inches in the Northeast. 

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