Searing heat will continue to smash record highs in the Desert Southwest and Southern Plains, and the recently-sweltering Midwest will see the heat return later this week.
This heat wave isn't just setting records for a given calendar day, it's also setting records for the month of July.
(CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Heat Indices)
Borger, Texas, about 40 miles northeast of Amarillo, soared to 116 degrees, Saturday. That was not only their July heat record, but it also was their all-time record high, crushing their previous all-time record of 113 degrees set on June 26, 2011. Records in Borger date to 1949. That's about the average high this time of year in Death Valley, California.
July monthly record highs tied or set during this current heat wave.Amarillo, Texas, tied its all-time July record Saturday, topping out at 109 degrees. It also tied their second hottest temperature on record, behind only the June 26, 2011, high of 111 degrees. The intense heat ignited severe thunderstorms in the panhandle, one of which spawned a brief landspout tornado on the southwest side of Amarillo, which damaged some fences, sheds and tree limbs.
Roswell, New Mexico, tied its all-time July record of 111 degrees Saturday for the third day in a row.
And, while not a daily record, Death Valley, California, America's hottest location, reached 124 degrees Saturday, their hottest temperature of the year so far.
There's more heat in store the next several days, particularly in parts of New Mexico and Texas.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued excessive heat warnings from southern and western Arizona into southern Nevada and southeast California, including Las Vegas and Phoenix. "Dangerously hot conditions" are expected these areas and will continue into next Monday, according to the NWS.
Excessive heat warnings are also in effect in portions of New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses are likely for anyone outside for any extended periods of time.
Heat advisories are also in place in several areas, from the Desert Southwest into the Deep South, including in Dallas and Houston.
Heat AlertsThe heat will be oppressive when you factor in the humidity over the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley. In some areas covered by excessive heat warnings, heat indices could climb above 110 degrees.
That's what happened on Saturday in Oklahoma. One Oklahoma Mesonet location even reported a 120-degree heat index.
Numerous additional daily record highs are likely to fall over the next several days from the Desert Southwest east into Texas.
These could be the hottest temperatures in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson in three years.
(MORE: The Hottest Temperatures in All 50 States)
Dallas-Fort Worth could see its first 100-degree day of 2020.
The heat in the Southwest and Southern Plains will gradually ease off a bit by mid-late week. However, Phoenix could sweat through one of their longest 110-degree-plus heat streaks on record.
Expanding Heat Ahead
While not necessarily smashing numerous records, parts of the Great Lakes and Midwest recently sweated through one of their longest heat waves in at least several years.
Muskegon, Michigan, set their all-time record-long streak of 90-degree-plus highs, doing so nine straight days ending on July 7, a particularly impressive streak given their proximity to the typically cooler water of Lake Michigan.
Buffalo, New York, reached 90 degrees Friday for the eighth straight day, topping their previous record streak from July 1988. They also topped out at 98 degrees Thursday, tying their second hottest reading all-time from 1953.
Enjoy any heat relief the next few days in the Midwest while you can.
A dome of high pressure aloft responsible for the Southwest heat wave will expand and stretch eastward across much of the rest of the country late this week.
This will end any heat relief, sending temperatures soaring back into the 90s in the Ohio Valley and at least parts of the Great Lakes by next weekend.
And this Midwest and East heat could have some staying power.
Long-term forecasts indicate this heat wave may last into the next week, particularly in the Plains, Midwest and interior Northeast, according to the latest outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
Extended Temperature OutlookThe Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment