The heat wave continues across much of the Central U.S. going into the end of the week as a strong upper level ridge builds in and results in generally sinking air and mostly sunny skies.
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Therefore, heat advisories are in effect from central Texas to the southern Great Lakes, where daytime highs will likely reach into the middle 90s to low 100s, and heat indices perhaps reaching 110 degrees when combined with high dewpoints for some areas.
The anomalous heat is then forecast to reach the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Thursday as highs generally reach into the 95-100 degree range ahead of the cold front, and heat advisories have already been issued for this as well.
In terms of rainfall prospects, moisture will continue to linger in place across much of the Intermountain West through the end of the week and also the Desert Southwest, with the heaviest rainfall expected across the Sierra Nevada, the Front Range of the Rockies, and southeastern Arizona.
A corridor of organized showers and storms is likely to develop late Wednesday and into Thursday from Missouri to Michigan ahead of a cold front, with some potential of 1-3 inch rainfall totals and localized flooding.
In addition, there is a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms within this same general corridor for Wednesday.
Fire weather concerns will also continue to make headlines across much of the interior northwestern U.S. and extending eastward across Montana.
A combination of gusty winds and low humidities will increase the potential for wildfires, and some high based thunderstorms with limited rainfall and cloud-to-ground lightning may also be cause for concern on Wednesday.
The fire weather risk is likely to persist going into Thursday as well across portions of the interior Pacific Northwest and central Montana. ■
A clipper system will move quickly across the northern Plains into the Midwest Friday and the Northeast by Saturday, bringing a wintry mix of rain and snow showers ahead of a sweeping cold front.