The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a warning for a severe heat wave set to affect parts of the Midwest and Northeast beginning Sunday. This marks the first major heat event of the year for these regions, with high temperatures expected to persist through the end of next week.
The NWS Weather Prediction Centre forecasts that the heat wave will start in the Midwest on Sunday and spread to the Northeast in the following days. Daytime temperatures could climb as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, with nighttime temperatures staying warm in the mid-70s in major cities.
The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to indicate how hot it feels, is expected to exceed 90 degrees in cities like Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia for most of the week. Detroit and Pittsburgh are anticipated to experience some of the highest temperatures, with the heat index surpassing 100 degrees for several days.
There is a 40–60% chance that the excessive heat will persist until next Friday in the Northeast and until June 24 in the Midwest, according to the NWS. The extreme temperatures also raise the risk of rapid onset or flash droughts in parts of the eastern Corn Belt and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Accuweather presents two potential scenarios for the heatwave. In the first scenario, up to 110 million people in the Midwest and Northeast could see daily high temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees. In a more extreme scenario, involving a stronger high-pressure system, over 135 million people could be affected, with temperatures in many areas reaching 100 degrees, as reported by Forbes.
The Weather Channel reports that summer 2024 is on track to be one of the hottest on record in the U.S. Temperatures are expected to continue rising in July, with much of the country experiencing above-average heat through September.
