Extreme weather builds in the West, across the US

SALT LAKE CITY — This summer has been full of extreme weather, with deadly flash floods hitting multiple parts of the country and wildfires burning up multiple areas in the West.

Weather forecasters had predicted a warmer-than-normal summer, and so far, the prognostications appear to be accurate.

In Utah, a Red Flag warning has been issued across the entire state due to fire-promoting weather, but temperatures are expected to drop a bit on Friday due to a cold front that will move through northern Utah, according to Matt Johnson with KSL Weather.

This cold front will cause a temperature drop of 10 to 15 degrees by Friday afternoon. The cooler weather could help suppress fire danger with higher humidity levels and less strong winds over the weekend.

Here is a look at what the weather is expected to look like across the U.S. over the next few days:

Flash floods in North Carolina, wet conditions across the South

Another deadly flash flood has hit the U.S. this summer. On Wednesday, flooding near Spring Hope, North Carolina, killed two people. They were killed when their car was swept away by the fast-moving waters, according to ABC News.

The area received a flash flood warning on Wednesday evening after receiving 4 to 6 inches of rain in the afternoon and into the early evening.

According to ABC News, excessive rainfall is possible on Thursday through the Florida Panhandle up into Southeast Virginia. The threat of rain is not as high as it was Wednesday, with 1- to 2-inch totals expected.

This pattern of wet weather will continue to cause cooler-than-normal conditions for the region, such as in Richmond, Virginia, where the high temperature on Wednesday was 70 degrees.

Fire weather alerts across multiple states

In the western part of the country, fire weather alerts are in place across seven states: Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota and Nebraska. The alerts are for "critical fire weather conditions conducive for rapid fire spread with any new or existing wildfires in these regions," per AccuWeather.

Critical fire weather conditions are expected to continue at least through Saturday, but they could remain into the beginning of next week, according to ABC News.

Extreme heat warnings issued in the Southwest

There are also extreme heat warnings in place for parts of the Southwest, including Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, as well as Palm Springs, California.

Phoenix is expected to break heat records when the high temperature on Thursday could reach 118 degrees, which would set an August all-time record, per the Weather Channel.

Heat advisories have been issued for other parts of the Four Corners region reaching into the Plains in areas such as Denver, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso and Amarillo, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas, per ABC News.

These areas with heat warnings and advisories are expected to see high temperatures between 108 and 118 degrees through Friday.

Through the weekend and into the beginning of next week, the heat is expected to be less extreme in the Southwest. But next week, widespread heat is expected to return in the northeast and other areas of the country, according to ABC News.

Severe thunderstorms to hit North Dakota

A severe thunderstorm threat is increasing across the Northern Plains and the Midwest. Through Thursday and Friday, wind gusts as high as 75 mph and hailstones bigger than golf balls are likely, with a few tornadoes possible each day.

Cities in North Dakota and South Dakota, such as Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Aberdeen, are most at risk from the severe storm.

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