West to bake a bit longer as Cindy dumps rain on South, East
Near-normal temps expected next week
While the extreme heat in the West is forecast to continue through the weekend, a soggy couple of days are in store for the South and East, with widespread flooding possible.
The deadly, record-breaking heat wave that has scorched the desert Southwest and California the past few days will continue into early next week, meteorologists say.
Excessive heat warnings will remain in effect through Monday for much of the region, according to the National Weather Service.
The heat has been blamed for four deaths in Nevada, two deaths in New Mexico and one in California.
The Northwest will also see unusually hot temperatures this weekend. High temperatures on Saturday are forecast to be 15 to 25 degrees above average across portions of the Northwest, with record highs possible in cities such as Portland, Ore., and Seattle, the weather service said.
The heat is due to a massive ridge of high pressure, which weather service meteorologist Dan Gregoria described as a “hot dome of air.”
Near-normal temperatures are finally forecast to return by the middle of next week, the weather service said. For example, the high next Wednesday in Death Valley should be down to 117 degrees after highs in the mid-120s this week.
In the South and East, remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy, now a tropical depression, will continue to drench many areas. Ongoing torrential rain has caused flash flood watches to be posted in the Southeast, the Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley.
In Alabama, Cindy was blamed for the death of a 10-year-old boy who was killed by debris Wednesday morning in Fort Morgan, the Weather Channel said.
Cindy will finally move out to sea on Saturday, leaving behind drier, cooler weather for Sunday and the first part of next week across the central, southern and eastern U.S., AccuWeather said.