Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 357 PM EDT Sun Aug 16 2020 Valid 00Z Mon Aug 17 2020 - 00Z Wed Aug 19 2020 ...Western U.S. heat wave continues across the western U.S. as heat moderates over the southern Plains, fire weather risk persists... ...Cooler conditions stretching from the Plains to the East Coast, occasional showers and storms from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast... A strengthening ridge of high pressure aloft will ensure a heat wave continues across much of the western U.S. for the next few days. Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories engulf much of the western third of the Lower 48 except the Sierra Nevada. Record high temperatures are forecast for many locations the next few days as afternoon temperatures surpass the century mark from the interior Pacific Northwest down to the Desert Southwest. The persistent heat and dry conditions will also promote wildfires across the region. In addition, spotty thunderstorms could produce dry lightning that could lead to the development of additional fires. The streak of stifling heat in the southern Plains concludes after today as a welcomed surge of cooler air behind a cold front drops temperatures by about 10 degrees or so on Monday. By Tuesday, temperatures warm to more seasonal levels with West Texas bearing the brunt of the hottest conditions in the southern Plains. Meanwhile, the heat should culminate today for the interior Pacific Northwest with very slow improvement setting in for the next couple of days. Residents across the eastern half of the country can expect cooler temperatures and more comfortable conditions than our western neighbors thanks to upper level troughing aloft. This is due to a series of cold fronts sweeping across the Plains and exiting off the East Coast. One cold front associated with a low pressure system responsible for a wet afternoon over southern New England is pushing into the northwest Atlantic. Monday looks to feature spotty showers and storms, some of which could be severe, in parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast as a pair of cold front pass through. Farther south, a stalled front will call the Southeast "home" through mid-week. Showers and storms could produce locally heavy downpours from time to time. These cold fronts will also usher high pressure across the Nation's Heartland causing drier than normal conditions to kickoff the week. Mullinax Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php