The heat wave is pushing east, raising temperatures in major cities this weekend
Heat warnings and advisories spread from the California / Mexico border to Canada on Wednesday, where the heat will remain for much of the west. “The extreme heat in these locations will greatly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses,” said the Weather Prediction Center (WPC).
“In addition, much of the Southwest and West is experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions, which will no doubt be exacerbated by the current heat wave,” adds the WPC.
Highs could approach 110 ° in Las Vegas and close to 120 ° for Death Valley.
“High temperatures are expected to reach the upper 90s and triple digits over a vast area ranging from the desert southwest to the northern high plains,” predicts the WPC.
Dozens of records could fall in Idaho, as well as in eastern Oregon and Washington.
“The largest temperature anomalies from the mean will be located over the interior sections of Oregon and Washington, where high temperatures are expected to reach nearly 30 degrees above the normal maximum for this time of year.” , said the WPC.
Warm conditions are heading east
As temperatures begin to drop in the West, they will rise in the Midwest. The Midwest and Northern Plains will receive a touch of that heat, then increase even more on Thursday.
Highs will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Highs will be in the upper 80s today for Fargo and Minot, with heat increasing for the remainder of the week, with highs near 100 degrees by Friday.
This tropical air mass will remain in place for the Midwest, “resulting in high temperatures reaching low in the mid-90s in central Minnesota and western Wisconsin and as high as the upper 90s in western Minnesota. “said the National Weather Service in Twin Cities, Minnesota.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, could reach 90 ° on Friday and International Falls, Minnesota, could reach 93 °; if it did, both locations would break records.
Low temperatures will also be on the hot side.
“A big but less obvious impact of this heat wave will be the low nighttime temperatures from the lows to the mid-70s, which is close to where we sat for the highs of the past two weeks,” said the NWS Twin Cities.
“Everyone likes to talk about records during the day, but another danger in heat waves is when the air doesn’t cool down at night. Your body and your home can’t cool down at night,” the meteorologist explains. by CNN Chad Myers.
“Warm nights also indicate a significant spike in humidity in the air,” Myers explains. This increased humidity creates an excessively high heat index the following afternoon.
As the heat pushes through the northeast by the weekend, New York City could experience its first 90-degree day of the year. Even Boston could see temperatures between 80 and 90 by the end of the weekend, marking the start of its first heat wave of the season.
By the middle of next week, the northeast should start to see temperatures drop, returning to more normal highs for early June.