Fire threat, heat wave in store for West this weekend as colder temps come to Midwest

A major weather pattern change is in sight for the next few days in much of the U.S., including the return of dangerous fire weather conditions in parts of the West as well as a heat wave in the Southwest.

Already Saturday morning, there are wind advisories, fire weather watches, red flag warnings and air quality alerts issued for parts of the western U.S., including already hard-hit areas in California and Oregon.

Although fires can spark at any point in the West due to dry conditions, the greatest fire danger Saturday will be located across parts of Montana, South Dakota and northern Wyoming. The reason for this enhanced area of fire danger is primarily due to gusty winds.

On Sunday and Monday, a high pressure will build in the western U.S., which will bring a rise in temperatures, as well as gusty offshore winds. Critical fire danger is expected in parts of bother northern and southern California, including parts of the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara metro areas.

This is now typically the time of the year where we see high-pressure systems try to build in the West, but subsequently, colder air is trying to spill into other parts of the U.S. This results in periods favorable for Santa Anta winds

Temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days along the West Coast, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees in parts of California by Monday and Tuesday.

Subsequently, the colder air on the opposite side of the jet stream in the central U.S. will cause quite a temperature drop. Temperatures are likely to drop 10-20 degrees by the middle of the week, with the cooler air starting to make its way down to the southern US.

Peaking ahead to the end of the upcoming week, wind chills will likely be in the 30s and 40s across much of the central and even southern parts of the U.S. Some parts of the upper Midwest will almost certainly have wind chill values in the 20s as well.