Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 334 PM EDT Wed Sep 02 2020 Valid 00Z Thu Sep 03 2020 - 00Z Sat Sep 05 2020 ...Heavy rainfall/flash flooding likely in portions of Arkansas tonight... ...Extremely critical fire weather risk for Northern Plains/Rockies Wednesday afternoon and evening... ...Severe weather risk in the Mid-Atlantic tonight and Thursday... Most of the rainfall during the next couple of days will occur along a front at the leading edge of an upper level trough, between the Southern Plains and the Northeast. Scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding are expected between the Southern Plains and Arkansas; a High Risk of Excessive Rainfall exists for portions of Arkansas tonight, where grounds have become quite saturated over the past few weeks. The flash flood/excessive rainfall risk slowly fades in that region on Thursday and Friday. A Slight Risk for severe weather exists tonight and on Thursday for portions of the Mid-Atlantic states farther up the front, on the east side of the upper level trough. The Slight Risk area for Thursday has an embedded Enhanced Risk area over much of the Del-Mar-Va region. Temperatures are expected to rise across the West and East Coasts over the next couple of days. Upper level high pressure building in the west will contribute to temperatures being increasingly hotter than average there, while warm air will surge north along the East coast ahead of the approaching low pressure system. Record high temperatures are expected across the West on Friday while the Florida Peninsula swelters under near record breaking heat through Friday. Excessive Heat Watches and Warnings are currently in effect for much of California and into the Desert Southwest. Record warm low temperatures are most likely in and near the Carolinas through Friday. Cool air will surge south and into the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on the backside of a low pressure system. Due to dry and breezy conditions, much of the Northern Rockies and Plains are under an area of elevated fire weather risk. Extremely critical fire weather conditions are likely along the foothills of the Northern Rockies and into the Northern High Plains this evening. Kebede/Roth Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php