Heat to stay stuck on high for rest of month
The heat is on. And for most of America it’ll stay on through the rest of the month and maybe longer, meteorologists say.
Widespread and prolonged extreme heat is baking the contiguous United States, and meteorologists see no relief in sight, except for a brief time in a corner of the Pacific Northwest.
Next week is likely to be worse than this week.
And the entire Lower 48 states and Alaska are likely to be warmer than normal for the last two weeks of July, traditionally the hottest time of year, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center.
“It’s very widespread and it’s going to be very long lasting,” said Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground and now a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connections. “It’s not a recordbreaking heat wave, but it is notable for its persistence.”
This is a dangerous type of heat where people need to be careful about heat stroke, stay indoors and drink plenty of water, meteorologists said.
The National Weather Service warned of excessive heat Tuesday for 18 million people, but that’s nothing compared to what’s coming up. At the end of this week, much of the nation will likely be passing or flirting with temperatures in the 90s. And it will likely feel even hotter in the South.
Charleston, South Carolina, likely will feel 105 on
Friday and then 108 on Saturday. Little Rock, Arkansas, is forecast to feel like 107 and 109 Friday and Saturday. Houston should feel like 109 Friday through Sunday. Phoenix is forecast to feel like 108 Friday and 110 Saturday and Sunday.
Next week, while close to two-thirds of the country will be warmer than normal, about 40% of the Lower 48 has a moderate risk of extreme and dangerous heat, said Climate Prediction Center meteorologist Matthew Rosencrans.