The heat wave that has baked the eastern United States for days continues this weekend into early next week, intensifying in some places while easing in others. While the number of record temperatures may be fewer and farther between after this weekend, the long duration of the heat in some places is among several factors that worry officials.
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“The early arrival of the heat in the summer season, persistence of heat over multiple days, and light winds and limited cloud cover will be aggravating factors in terms of overall heat stress,” the National Weather Service said.
The heat will persist at peak intensity in the Ohio Valley and Midwest on Saturday before starting to wane on Sunday. Intense heat will also scorch the Mid-Atlantic and the Interstate 95 corridor from D.C. to New York City all weekend before slightly cooler weather arrives. The most intense heat shifts southward and westward to the Southeast, mid-South and Plains early next week.
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In the hottest spots, temperatures will rise to the upper 90s and near 100 on multiple days, while heat indexes climb to near or past 105 to 110. Nighttime temperatures will offer little relief. “Those without access to reliable air conditioning are urged to find a way to cool down as overnight temperatures will be very warm,” the Weather Service added.
After a break for much of the nation later next week, there are signs the heat could make a comeback by July.
The most intense heat this weekend
A large swath of the nation from Kansas east to near the Mid-Atlantic coastline and from south Michigan southward to Tennessee is facing a Level 3 or 4 HeatRisk. Those are the highest levels of the Weather Service’s HeatRisk forecast, which rates the danger to human health.
Indianapolis; Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh should be among the hottest spots in the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Saturday, with forecast highs in the mid- to upper 90s and heat indexes spiking to near 100, before cooling to highs closer to 90 on Sunday.
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The highest HeatRisk levels retreat from the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Sunday, instead focusing on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, while expanding southward into portions of the Southeast and westward into Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia are expecting highs in the upper 90s to near 100 on Saturday and Sunday, with heat indexes climbing to near or past 105. Around New York City and just to the west, many spots should reach weekend highs in the mid-90s with heat indexes topping out in the upper 90s to near 100.
Cities including D.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Columbus; New York City; Philadelphia; and Norfolk could come close to or set record highs this weekend. Sunday may feature more than 100 record warm lows from the southern Great Lakes to the East Coast.
Where the heat will be worst early next week
The worst of the heat early next week will stretch from Oklahoma eastward through Arkansas, northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and portions of the Southeast. Sizzling heat will also stretch northward into Missouri, southern Illinois and eastern Kansas.
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In Oklahoma City, the heat will already be building this weekend, with highs reaching the mid- to upper 90s. Highs should reach the upper 90s to near 100 Monday through Wednesday as the heat index makes it near or past 100 Saturday through Wednesday, and possibly as high as around 108 on Tuesday.
Another likely hot spot is Little Rock. Highs there are forecast in the upper 90s to near 100 Sunday through Tuesday, and the heat index could top out near 105.
Those cities, along with Tulsa; Jackson, Miss.; Nashville; Baton Rouge; and Atlanta, are all forecast to reach a Level 4 HeatRisk at some point early next week. In Atlanta, highs are forecast to reach the mid- to upper 90s each day Saturday through Wednesday, with heat indexes a few degrees higher.
Excessive heat should extend northward to St. Louis, which is looking at Monday and Tuesday highs in the upper 90s to low 100s and a heat index nearing or exceeding 105.
The outlook for later next week and beyond
More-seasonable temperatures return to much of the eastern United States by the second half of next week as the heat builds across parts of the West.
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Portions of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada could see temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal. Unrelenting heat in Phoenix could push daytime highs near or past 110 every day into at least early July.
There are signs that the heat dome — a large area of high pressure responsible for the heat — could expand eastward again around the end of June or early July. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outlook favors above-normal temperatures for much of the country in July, especially in the central and eastern United States.
NOAA reports that hot spots are likely to appear around the Four Corners region — the intersection of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, which is also expected to have below-normal precipitation — and along the Eastern Seaboard into New England. The Gulf Coast is also expected to experience hotter-than-average conditions, in part because of very warm waters around the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.
Jason Samenow, Ian Livingston and Kasha Patel contributed to this report.
