From flash flooding to wildfire danger, extreme weather targets US – USA Today

From flash flooding to wildfire danger, extreme weather targets US  USA Today

Dangerously hot temperatures, dry conditions, and severe thunderstorms are expected to sweep across much of the United States this week, sparking heightened risk of wildfires and flash flooding in some regions, according to meteorologists. Hot conditions that sweltered western states, from California to Colorado, over the weekend, will persist through midweek, with 114-degree temperatures forecast in some areas. In northern states, like Washington and Oregon, the dry weather could further kindle destructive fires that have scorched thousands of acres. "Dry conditions and locally gusty winds at times will result in a very high wildfire risk across the Northwest this week, supporting continued wildfire growth and the potential for new wildfires to ignite," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Kai Kerkow.

Humid air in the Eastern and Central United States, meanwhile, could fuel severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, flash flooding and damaging winds. Across the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters say intense heat in western and central Europe could create ideal wildfire conditions just as firefighters appeared to subdue a raging fire in southern France and Spain. States from California to Colorado saw record-breaking temperatures in the upper 90s and triple digits Aug. 8 and Aug. 9. The heat is expected to persist through midweek and spread east into the central Rockies and Great Plains. In parts of Kansas and Missouri, where the heat index is forecast