Wildfires in Spokane, Washington, forced thousands to evacuate
The fires have destroyed at least 600 structures, including homes, as crews battle multiple blazes fueled by hot, dry and windy conditions.
A hint of good news can be seen across weather maps for the first week of August as the extreme heat that has baked much of the country for weeks eases up a little.
“It will still be warm to hot, especially in the Southwest and Southern Rockies,” said Tony Fracasso, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
“We have some record highs forecast here and there, but it’s not as intense or as widespread as it has been,” Fracasso said. “It’s still not great, but not as bad as it was.”
Heavy rain forecast in parts of the East and South
On Monday, Aug. 3, three areas of the country are expected to see a slight risk of excessive rainfall, including northern New England and the northern mid-Atlantic, and along Florida’s Gulf Coast around the Big Bend. The rain could create some localized areas of flash flooding.
A slight risk of excessive rainfall is possible over parts of the Southwest on Aug. 4, and into parts of the upper Great Lakes, middle Mississippi Valley and Central Plains on Aug. 5. Monsoonal storms are possible in Arizona and New Mexico, which may occasionally reach into portions of Utah and Colorado.
A front moving through the Midwest and Central Plains by Aug. 6 is forecast to trigger a corridor of potentially heavy rain and thunderstorms, and showers and thunderstorms will be scattered across the eastern United States through the end of the week.
Over the Southeast, more tropical moisture is expected to intrude over the week, with a wet pattern that could linger into the second week of August, according to the weather prediction center’s forecast discussion.
Heat over the Southwest could spread by the weekend
Extreme heat across the Southwest means temperatures could top 120 degrees this week, the center’s forecast discussion said on Aug. 3.
Chances of major to extreme heat values remain in the region.
By the weekend, the ridge causing that excessive heat in the Southwest is forecast to gradually intensify and expand north and east again, potentially making it another hot weekend across the Plains, Intermountain West and possibly into the South, according to the weather prediction center.
Western wildfires
In a bit of better news for firefighters, winds are forecast to be lighter this week over the Northwest where dozens of large wildfires continue to rage, so the red flag warnings aren’t forecast to be as widespread. Smoke and fire will remain an issue this week, with no rain in the forecast for the West except in Arizona and the Four Corners area, Fracasso said.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.