Los Angeles Area on Alert for Flash Floods: Weather Watch

California, which has been suffering through wet weather for weeks, has more rain in the forecast.

A flash flood warning is in place for downtown Los Angeles, as well as the surrounding area, through early Wednesday. There are also warnings and watches up across other parts of the state, including San Diego and cities in the Central Valley.

In other parts of the US, across west Texas and eastern New Mexico, the US Storm Prediction Center says there are critical fire weather conditions, which refer to high winds and dry air that will allow any blazes that start to quickly burn out of control. The area is sparsely populated, about 710,000 people live in the nearly 39,000 square mile area, which includes El Paso, Texas and Roswell, New Mexico, home of Area 51.

A wider area from southeastern Colorado to the Mexico border is under red flag fire warnings through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Across the eastern half of the US temperatures are forecast to rise above normal through March 5, the US Climate Prediction Center said. Average daily temperatures will likely rise 8F (4C) degrees or more above normal across parts of the Great Plains, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through March 6, according to the Commodity Weather Group LLC. Eastern Canada will also have milder end to winter as well, the commercial forecaster said.

In other weather news:

Australia: Forecasters are watching the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Lincoln, which is moving back over the Indian Ocean where it is likely to re-strengthen, said Angus Hines, a meteorologist with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. There is a flood watch across parts of Western Australia. It is possible the storm will make another landfall near Exmouth, Australia as Category 1 or 2 cyclone on the Australian scale. The highest winds will likely rake an area of the coast from Roebourne in the north to Ningaloo to the south in the next two days, Hines said.

India: Hail was reported across northern parts of India, along with isolated heavy rainstorms.

Japan: A storm warning is up for Tsushima.

Top photo: National Weather Service.