It means that a third of the US population is subject to heat advisories and extreme heat warnings today and tomorrow, and more than 80% of the US population (about 265 million Americans) will see a high temperature above 90 degrees over the next seven days. Warmer temperatures, reaching triple digits, will again be concentrated in the southern plains. More than two dozen record highs are possible today and tomorrow for the southern US, including Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, and the East Coast is also set to get into the mix. Areas of the Northeast will also see temperatures approaching daily records Wednesday and Thursday. “Heat advisories are also in effect for Wednesday for parts of the Northeast, including the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia to Boston, where heat index values are expected to reach near 100 degrees,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
The southern plains are given another dose of intense heat
After a record hot day yesterday, the southern plains are once again facing dangerous heat. Dallas hit a daily record high of 110 degrees yesterday, but topped out at 109, making it the hottest day of the year so far. But today will be worse. The temperature in the area is expected to reach 111 degrees, breaking the daily record of 108. Oppressive heat has strained Texas’ power grid as the state braces for another day of record energy demand. Extreme heat advisories and heat advisories are in effect through Wednesday for North and Central Texas. “Air temperatures will reach 105 to 110 degrees in the warning area, with heat index values above 105 degrees in the advisory area,” the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said. As high temperatures, low humidity and wind speeds increase, a critical fire danger threat is also in effect for northern Texas and central Oklahoma. Oklahoma City could see highs near 110 today, which would break the daily record of 109 set in 1936. “The last time we had a significant stretch of heat was in 2011, when we had 63 days greater than or equal to 100 degrees,” said Vivek Mahale, a meteorologist with the Normandy National Weather Service. Mahale expects above-average heat to continue at least through Sunday, with each day reaching triple digits. Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers International Airport has seen nine days over 100 degrees this month. He advises that the best thing to do to prepare is to check on vulnerable populations as temperatures will be five to seven degrees above normal. “We really want to stress that you want to check on your friends, family and neighbors during the heat wave, especially vulnerable populations like the elderly,” Mahale said. Further north, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration encouraged employers to be aware of heat hazards and help prevent heat illness. “Whether you work indoors or outdoors, hot and humid conditions can pose serious health risks to workers, but heat-related illnesses are preventable,” said Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Director Bart Pickelman in a press release. Employers, he said, should have detailed procedures in place to monitor the heat index, provide water and care for a sick worker, he said.
New York, Boston and Philadelphia are bracing for a rough week ahead
Heat warnings are in effect tomorrow for the Northeast, including New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
“Opressive heat and humidity return this week,” the National Weather Service in Boston tweeted.
Heat index values — the temperature it feels like when heat combines with humidity — could exceed 100 degrees in some areas, creating dangerous conditions for residents of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
The heat and humidity will not only embrace the coast. Upstate New York could also see well above average temperatures.
Albany, New York is soaring above the average of 84 degrees for this time of year, and the city could approach a record high of 97 degrees tomorrow in the sweltering heat.
To make matters worse, the humidity combined with the heat will make some areas feel 5-10 degrees warmer.
“This is going to be a little bit (warmer) than the typical hot and humid weather we have in July,” Mike Evans, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Albany, New York office, told CNN.
Evans said dew points could push 70 degrees tomorrow when the humidity becomes “very noticeable.”
Parts of Massachusetts will reach record highs as early as Wednesday as temperatures reach the upper 90s, continuing through the rest of the week in the Northeast.
“This is going to be the hottest day we’ve had so far this summer. We really haven’t had a very hot summer here, at least in the Northeast,” Evans said.
The US is unlikely to see much relief next week. The Climate Prediction Center predicts that above-average temperatures will likely last into next week for most of the lower 48.
