Extreme Weather Out West, Benign In Northeast

The weather has taken a turn toward the extreme again in parts of the United States.

In the desert Southwest, there's still watching for some rare and destructive flash floods as moisture from Tropical Storm Ivo streams in.

Forest fires continue to burn in California, while
the Desert Southwest is under a flood alert  

But the huge western forest fires will keep burning, since most of that moisture is probably going to miss places like northern California and Idaho, where the worst of the fires are raging.

In the nation's heartland, a strong and persistent heat wave has settled in and will stay there all week.

That part of the United States is no stranger to summer heat, but this one will be awfully strong and long lasting for something at the end of August. Heat alerts are up around Minneapolis, and temperatures will top 100 degrees in places like South Dakota and Nebraska.

From where I sit up here in Vermont, though, all is calm. It's going to be another beautiful Sunday, and the weather doesn't look too dramatic for the rest of the week in the Northeast.

There are weather disturbances going up and over the heat ridge in the nation's midsection. They go across the southern Canadian praries, then head southeastward toward New England.

One will come through Monday and Monday night with a package of showers and thunderstorms, followed by another one Wednesday. But, in between and after the bouts of showers, it will stay nice, with temperatures near or a little above normal for this time of year.

Which means people going to the Champlain Valley Fair have a pretty good week to anticipate.

Back to the west, after a summer of drought, this family had to abandon their trampoline to let some hail have their turn at some fun.   Pretty cool video: