Heat advisories in place across I-95 corridor
The Northern Plains and Midwest have one more day to deal with the stifling temperatures before the record heat spreads to the East Coast, including the Northeast. Heat will then flare up in parts of the Northwest this weekend as summer’s warmth and humidity begin to increase around the country.
Expect several days of highs in the upper 80s and 90s as the heat sloshes around the country, with”feels like” temperatures, or heat indices, topping the triple digits, at times.
Here’s where daily record high temperatures could be threatened through this weekend.
Central US starts hot
Tuesday brought highs in the 90s as far north as the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota, and while parts of the Northern Plains are cooler Wednesday, heat is ongoing for most. Some triple-digit highs are possible in parts of Nebraska and Kansas, southward into western Texas and eastern New Mexico.
Heat relief should arrive for the rest of the upper Midwest and central Plains starting Thursday, though severe thunderstorms are also in the forecast ahead of that cold front.
Record heat spreads east
The extreme heat is now spreading into the East, from parts of New England to Florida.
Highs in the 90s will be felt for much of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes on Wednesday, with the Northeast largely in the mid 80s. By Thursday, the 90s will begin showing up for the Northeast, as far north as Boston.
A few dozen record highs could be tied or set from Thursday into Friday from North Carolina to Upstate New York, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Charleston, Richmond and Washington, D.C.
Heat relief should arrive in parts of the interior Northeast this weekend, while the I-95 corridor may continue to bake in generally mid-80s to low 90s heat during the weekend, though with some modestly less humid air working in.
Northwest joins the heat parade
This weekend will turn hotter in the Northwest, from Oregon and Washington to Northern California.
Highs will soar well into the 80s in Seattle and Spokane, and will surge well into the 90s in parts of western Oregon, including Portland, Salem and Eugene. Daily record highs are possible in these areas this weekend.
Triple-digit highs are also expected in California’s Central Valley late this week, including Sacramento.
Unfortunately, this heat could linger into early next week before relief arrives.
What is causing this heat?
The central and eastern U.S. heat will be drawn northward ahead of a strong cold front that will eventually sweep across the Plains, then parts of the East later this week.
And the West, an expansive area of high pressure above the ground with sinking, dry air known as a heat dome will form near the Northwest Coast, giving rise to the heat wave, there.
And what is making the heat feel worse in the eastern two-thirds of the country? The humidity.
Dew points in the 60s and 70s are only going to make these 90s feel more oppressive. Feels like temperatures could flirt with triple digits for several days.
