A historic heat wave in the west was forecast to move east this week after Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver joined a plethora of cities and towns posting record temperatures and more than 50 million Americans suffocated under warnings. of heat
Southerly winds will pump warm, moist air into the eastern two-thirds of the nation through Wednesday, forecaster WeatherBug warned. The result: temperatures that range between 10 and 30 degrees above normal for this time of year.
Further west, weekend temperatures in California’s Death Valley soared above 120 degrees while in Phoenix, a man grilled hamburgers and baked a pie on his dash. Parts of Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi also saw heat advisories over the weekend.
The blame lies with a northward bulge in the jet stream that developed over southwestern states this week, allowing more typical summer air to spread across the region. “Drastic and intense warming” is expected for more of the nation this week as the jet stream rises north, AccuWeather warned.
“A large dome of heat will expand further over the central states, midwest and southeast over the next couple of days,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.
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Cities from Chicago and St. Louis to Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, could see record temperatures and triple-digit highs this week, AccuWeather said. Wichita, Kansas will approach 100 degrees on Monday. Chicago and Indianapolis will see record highs on Tuesday.
“As heat and humidity increase on Monday, a complex of severe storms may move across northern Illinois,” the National Weather Service in Chicago said. “Dangerous heat and humidity will continue Tuesday and Wednesday.”
The weather service in Nashville, Tennessee, warned of temperatures approaching 100 degrees later in the week.
“Here’s the biggest problem: The morning lows will only *cool* down to the upper 70s with VERY wet conditions.” the service posted on Twitter. “Continued heat like this can cause #Heat illnesses and injuries to vulnerable populations.”
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The overall weather pattern has been largely stagnant for more than a week, allowing heat to build up in the central United States and the desert Southwest.
Denver reached 100 degrees on Saturday, a record for the day and the earliest in the summer that the city reached triple digits. Temperatures topping 100 degrees were also moving into parts of New Mexico and Texas.
The excessive heat that has gripped much of the Lone Star State is far from over, AccuWeather forecasters warn. And as it expands into the Plains, rounds of severe weather are emerging.
“Some impressive tree damage on the east side of the K-State campus with damaged buildings,” said the weather service in Topeka, Kanas, tweeted on Sunday. “Many multidirectional tree falls and substantial branches 4 to 8″ in diameter went a long way.”
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The Pittsburgh weather service warned that the storms could move across western Pennsylvania along with a strong dose of heat: “If you’re not a fan of the heat, well… it’s only 192 days until the 1st day of winter.”
In California, thousands of residents headed to the beach.
“Just to get out of the heat, really,” San Bernardino resident Christine Ramirez told KABC-TV in Newport Beach. San Bernardino could see 100 degrees later in the week. “We just wanted a family day, so we all headed out…Park early and stay here all day.”
At least the heat he found in Death Valley wasn’t a threat to the all-time record. He peaked at 134 degrees on July 10, 1913.
In Arizona, forecasters warned of a high “heat hazard” through Monday as high temperatures soar to 115 degrees. Residents were warned to limit outdoor activities. In Phoenix, TikToker Joe Brown’s thermometer showed a temperature of 202 degrees inside his car.
“The burgers were well done and that’s how I like my burgers so I know this is going to be good,” Brown said as he picked them up from a tray that had been sitting on the board. “If you’re ever too lazy to cook on your stove, just cook in your car. This burger was definitely a 10 out of 10.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
