Short Range Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 305 PM EDT Mon Sep 30 2024 Valid 00Z Tue Oct 01 2024 - 00Z Thu Oct 03 2024 ...Record heat continues across much of California into the desert Southwest... ...Elevated to critical fire weather conditions persist across the Northern to Central Plains... ...One more day of wet weather across the Central Appalachians into the Mid Atlantic before a drier pattern sets in by mid week... A mid to upper level ridge is forecast to continue to stretch from off the California coast, east southeastward across California, the Great Basin and the desert Southwest over the next few days. This will keep the early fall heat wave going for much of California into the desert southwest through the remainder of this week, with widespread moderate to major heat risk impacts along with potential for widespread record high temperatures. Excessive Heat warnings are currently in effect across western Arizona, far southern Nevada and southeast California, while heat advisories currently stretch along much of coastal California and into the interior Valleys. These warnings and advisories are currently affecting over 30 million people. High temperatures across these regions are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees above average over the next few days. Across the northern tier of the Lower 48 from the Northern Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley, the weekend record warm temperatures have been replaced by cooler weather in the wake of a strong cold front that has moved out of the Northern Plains into the Upper to Mid Mississippi Valley and southward into the Central to Southern Plains. This front has not produced any precipitation across the Northern to Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley where drought conditions persist. These dry conditions, combined low relative humidities and gusty winds in the wake of this front will continue to support a wild fire threat. Red Flag warnings are currently in effect across much of the Northern to Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley, affecting approximately 3 millions people. In contrast to the dry conditions across the western to central U.S., wet weather is expected to continue across portions of the Central Appalachians into the Mid Atlantic where a mid to upper level low continues to move slowly eastward. Additional moderate to locally heavy rainfall amounts possible across this area into Tuesday. This recent wet pattern will be coming to an end by Wednesday, as this slow moving system finally moves off the Mid-Atlantic coast, signaling the beginning of a dry pattern that will likely last into the weekend. Oravec Graphics available at https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php