the final third of May should bring continuing above average temperatures in the West, cooler than average over the central and northern Plains, and in the vicinity of the Great Lakes, and near normal temperatures elsewhere. Overall this is a bearish pattern for NG consumption with little to no heating demand and restrained cooling demand. Incidentally the early part of the week is starting to look like its has good precipitation potential over the Plains, Midwest and Ohio Valley as weak low pressure develops over Colorado and shunts Gulf of Mexico moisture to the N.

This week initially features weakening front running onto the Pacific NW, a building ridge over the rest of the west and a cold front moving through the NE, where temperatures have dropped significantly over the upper Midwest, Ohio Valley and much of the Northeast today. There's a fairy widespread risk of frost in rural areas in Wisconsin, northern Illinois, Michigan, northern Indiana and northern Ohio overnight. Conditions will rapidly arm up to well above seasonal values over the Plains today and Midwest/Ohio Valley by Tuesday as the western ridge and its attendant dome of warm air pushes east in the wake of the cold front. By Wednesday the effect of the late season cold push will be over in the NE, the heat dome will have chilled-out as the jet-stream retreats north and the flow flattens out to a West-East pattern without strong ridges or troughs. So most of the country should see near-average conditions for the latter half of the week and into the weekend. Other the Pac NW for the next few days, no well-organized precipitation is expected over the lower 48 until late Thursday/Friday as a frontal zone develops over the Midwest with the highest heavy rain potential centered over Indiana.