Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 358 AM EDT Wed Oct 14 2020 Valid 12Z Wed Oct 14 2020 - 12Z Fri Oct 16 2020 ...Warm up over the Central/Southern Plains today gives way to much cooler temperatures across much of the Plains on Thursday. Heat persists for coastal California... ...Fire Weather Threat remains serious over the Central/Southern Plains and parts of California through Thursday... An upper-level flow pattern will amplify and become the main driver of temperatures for the Great Plains over the next couple of days. Warm dry air will enter the Southern and Central Plains today as a result, leading to potential record breaking high temperatures across the Front Range and Southern Plains. Upper-level ridging across the West will produce anomalous heat along the California coast today with potential high temperature records being set for much of southern California and the Desert Southwest. As the heat persists in the West, the amplifying upper-level flow will drive cool continental Canadian air down into the Great Plains on Thursday. High temperatures over parts of the Northern/Central Plains are expected to be 15-20 degrees below average on Thursday and 20-30 degrees colder than they were on Wednesday. This cool air mass will shift east toward the weekend before another shot of anomalously cold air enters the Northern Plains by the start of next week. Elevated and Critical Risks of Fire Weather were issued for parts of the Central and Southern Great Plains today due to warm/dry air mixing with increased winds from a deepening area of surface low pressure over Oklahoma/Texas. The recent hot conditions paired with increased winds produced the issuance of Elevated and Critical Risks of Fire Weather for parts of California through Thursday. Red Flag Warnings are also currently in effect for the areas mentioned directly above. Kebede Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php