Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 305 AM EDT Wed Jul 29 2020 Valid 12Z Wed Jul 29 2020 - 12Z Fri Jul 31 2020 ...Heavy Rainfall/flash flooding possible for parts of the Plains, Midwest, and Tennessee Valley over the next few days... ...Elevated fire danger in Oregon on Wednesday; Excessive heat in the West Thursday and Friday... ...Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine expected to move into the Bahamas on Friday... Broad troughing edging into the northern and northeastern U.S. from Canada will join forced with another upper level trough developing across the Plains to edge a warm ridge of high pressure from the Deep South back into its climatological location in the western subtropical Atlantic, just in time for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine to move into the Bahamas. See the latest information from the National Hurricane Center on strengthening Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine. This pattern will cause the polar front to shift slowly southeast with time, taking a while to clear the central and southern Plains, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic States. Bouts of heavy rainfall can be expected to slowly shift from the central Plains into the mid-Mississippi Valley toward the Tennessee Valley for the next couple of days near this front; flash flood watches are in effect in and near southwest South Dakota and eastern Oklahoma while Slight Risks of excessive rainfall cover portions of the northern and central Plains, Midwest, and Tennessee Valley over the next few days due to the expected heavy rainfall. Temperatures will remain below normal for late July across much of the central U.S. due to lingering clouds and precipitation along the stationary front in the vicinity of the upper level trough, with a few record mild high temperatures possible for the southern Plains Thursday and Friday. Across the the Northwest, afternoon temperatures are forecast to soar into the triple digits across the interior valleys on Thursday and Friday as a warm core ridge strengthens with time across the western states. Record high temperatures are possible; excessive heat warnings are in effect. The Storm Prediction Center has concerns that thunderstorms do form in the vicinity would lead to an elevated risk of fire weather for Oregon due to their associated lightning and minimal expected rainfall on Wednesday. Red flag warnings remain in effect for this area. The Desert Southwest into the Great Basin will not be left out of the heat, as record high temperatures will be possible Thursday afternoon in the Desert Southwest as temperatures are forecast to reach well into the 110s; Excessive Heat Warnings are in effect. Across the East, seasonably hot conditions with scattered thunderstorms will persist into midweek as humid conditions linger further south across the Mid-Atlantic where a cold front remains slow to move out of the area. Roth/Kong Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php