Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 139 PM EDT Mon Jul 19 2021 Valid 00Z Tue Jul 20 2021 - 00Z Thu Jul 22 2021 ...Heavy rain with isolated to scattered flash flooding possible across the Northeast, Gulf Coast, and Southwest... ...Above normal temperatures for the Northern Plains... ...Elevated to critical fire weather found throughout the northern High Plains, northern Great Basin, as well as northern California through Tuesday... A slow moving front extending from the Mid-Atlantic to the Southern Plains is expected spark showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain throughout much of the south-central and southeastern United States over the next few days -- flash flood watches cover northernmost Alabama and south-central Tennessee. The main hazards associated with these storms are expected to be from frequent lightning and flash flooding. This front and related rainfall chances are forecast to linger over the region through midweek, while slowly inching southward across Texas. The Southwest Monsoon should remain quite active for the foreseeable future and bring much needed rainfall to this section of the country. However, the potential for flash flooding will also continue for isolated locations throughout the Southwest and central Great Basin, especially over burn scars -- flash flood watches cover portions of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. A slow-moving low pressure system near New England could cause heavy rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday in its vicinity. After Monday's excessive heat, cloud cover and a weak front in the vicinity of the northern High Plains should drop temperature on Tuesday, but highs will remain above average and into the upper-90s over much of the Northern Plains. Along with the above average temperatures, the combination of extreme drought, gusty winds, and lightning nearby thunderstorms could make conditions ripe throughout the West for new wildfires to form and spread uncontrollably. Areas of greatest concern today are expected to be found between the northern High Plains and California, and where lightning is most likely to spark wildfires over California and the Northern Great Basin. This threat persists over the next few days as a Pacific front attempts to shift eastward with time. Red Flag Warnings stretch from far northern California through the interior Northwest and Northern Continental Divide into northwest South Dakota and northeast Wyoming. Roth/Snell Graphics available at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php