As rain, showers & thunderstorms sweep eastward via the Plains, the Midwest and Great Lakes area, the primary threat of severe weather will shift into the lower Midwest.  Subsequently, a new storm system emerging from the northern Rockies will race across the Midwest on Thursday and into the Northeast by Friday, with thunderstorms expected along a trailing cold front.  Five-day rainfall totals should reach 1 to 3 inches from the Mississippi Valley eastward, except along and near the Gulf Coast. 

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