September's Start Brings Record-Threatening Heat To Midwest, Northeast

 Chris Dolce

Published: September 3, 2023

S​eptember is often associated with a transition to temperatures more typical of fall in the northern U.S., but this year we are starting the month with near-record heat for millions in the Midwest and Northeast.

(​MORE: Heat-Related Deaths Rising)

R​ecord temperatures have already been set: D​aily record highs were tied or broken on Sunday in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, and in Duluth and Rochester, Minnesota.

On Saturday, Sioux Falls (101 degrees) and Mitchell, South Dakota (104 degrees), both hit daily record highs and had their third hottest September day on record.

Incredibly, Winner and Phillip, South Dakota, both hit 107 degrees Saturday, which tied Rio Grande Village, Texas, as the hottest location anywhere in the U.S. for the day.

Here's where more record highs might fall in the coming days: Labor Day will feature highs in the 90s from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic. That means daily record highs for Sept. 4 could be threatened in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Forecast Highs

A slew of locations could approach daily record highs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic from Tuesday through Thursday.

Records could be threatened from northern Maine to eastern North Carolina on Tuesday and Wednesday. That includes Hartford, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Washington D.C.

B​elow is a look at the forecast compared to the records to beat for a few locations in the East.

(​MORE: Forecast Temperature Maps)

Forecast Highs Compared Daily Record

H​ere's when heat relief will arrive: Temperatures will tumble several degrees in the Midwest by Wednesday or Thursday as a cold front arrives. That means highs will retreat back into the 70s from Minneapolis to Chicago and Detroit.

T​he Northeast will have to wait a bit longer. Temperatures will begin to drop in the region on Friday, but Saturday is when the Interstate 95 corridor will see a more significant push of cooler air.

(​MORE: Where August Was Record Hot)

Forecast Highs

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist with weather.com for over 10 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.

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.

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.