More than 200 million Americans from South Dakota down to Florida and along the East Coast up to Boston are facing an impending heat crisis this week, as extreme temperatures and hazardous heat indices are forecasted.
The Southeast appears to be bracing for the worst of these sweltering conditions, with heat indices—what the temperature feels like when factoring in humidity—projected to range between 105 and 115 degrees.
Parts of Mississippi and Louisiana may experience even more perilous heat indices, potentially reaching up to 120 degrees.
In the Midwest, the heat is also predicted to continue into Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures feeling as high as 111 degrees over the weekend in areas from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Minneapolis.
Major cities, including New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Omaha, Des Moines, Savannah, Raleigh, Charleston, and Sioux Falls, have been placed under extreme heat warnings.
These cities may see feels-like temperatures hovering between 110 and 115 degrees, raising significant concerns about heat-related health issues.
The Northeast Coast, encompassing Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City, is also anticipated to endure multiple days of dangerous heat, with indices set to feel like mid-90s to 104 degrees on Monday.
As part of this weather situation, smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires will continue to blanket areas like New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut, adding to the discomfort.
During the weekend, the smoke caused an air-quality alert, with another significant plume expected to hit the I-95 corridor by Tuesday afternoon.
Looking ahead, potentially life-threatening heat and humidity are expected to persist across eastern regions until Wednesday.
Cities including St. Louis, Memphis, Charlotte, Savannah, Tampa, and Jackson, Mississippi, are forecasted to experience actual temperatures in the upper 90s to low 100s.
This heat wave, anticipated to be prolonged, is attributed to a significant influx of tropical moisture that will elevate feels-like temperatures to between 105 and 115 degrees over consecutive days.
Unfortunately, nighttime and early morning hours will not offer respite from the intense heat, as overnight lows are projected to remain in the 70s or higher.
From Monday to Wednesday, large areas of the Southeast will be classified under an extreme heat risk at a four-out-of-four level, which includes cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, Florida.
Notably, Tampa recently established a new heat record, hitting the 100-degree mark for the first time in 130 years of temperature recording.
In addition to the oppressive heat, destructive winds exceeding 75 mph are anticipated on Monday evening across parts of the Midwest, particularly in South Dakota and western Minnesota.
Severe thunderstorms are also predicted to develop in North Dakota on Monday evening, with the potential to expand into Minnesota and Iowa later that night.
image source from：abcnews
