- Cities such as Memphis and St. Louis were under “excessive heat warnings.”
- Such readings are considered dangerous, and the Weather Service said heat-related illnesses are possible.
- In the West, temperatures could drop by as much as 40 degrees across the southwestern US early this week.
more than 100 million Americans were under some form of heat warning or advisory Monday as a withering, potentially record-breaking heat wave made its way toward the central and eastern US
The heat was moving east after scorching portions of the West late last week and over the weekend. Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver were among cities posting record temperatures.
Southernerly winds were expected to push hot and humid air into the eastern two-thirds of the nation through Wednesday, and temperatures could top 10 to 30 degrees above normal, forecasters warned.
“Limit strenuous outdoor activities and sun exposure!” the National Weather Service in Chicago warned.
Chicago could hit 100 degrees
Temperatures in Chicago could reach 100 degrees by Tuesday, along with “oppressive humidity,” the Weather Service warned.
If Chicago hits the century mark, it would be the first time in nearly 10 years that the Windy City has seen a high temperature that extreme, AccuWeather said.
Cities such as Memphis and St. Louis could set record highs and were under “excessive heat warnings,” where heat index values could approach 110 degrees this week. the heat index is what the weather really feels like when humidity is factored in.
Such readings are considered dangerous, and the Weather Service said heat-related illnesses are possible.
“This is serious heat so don`t underestimate it,” the Weather Service in Memphis said. “Stay indoors if possible. Check on neighbors, especially the elderly and check the back seat for kids and pets.”
HEAT WAVE: Historic heat wave sweeps across much of the US
Record heat for many cities
AccuWeather Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said that “even cities as far east as Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, will be flirting with record high temperatures and triple-digit readings this week.”
Cities such as Minneapolis and Tulsa were also under excessive heat warnings from the heat wave.
In all, about 100 cities across the nation could see record highs through Wednesday, the Weather Service predicted.
Excessive heat causes more deaths in the US than other weather-related disasters, including hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.
‘Heat dome’ to blame
The heat is courtesy of a large area of high pressure, known as a “heat dome”,” Pydynowski said. A heat dome occurs when strong, high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from The girlcreating vast areas of sweltering heat that gets trapped under the high-pressure “dome,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The heat dome will continue to expand across the central and southeastern US over the next few days, he said.
Scientists say more frequent and intense heat waves like this one are likely in the future because of climate change.
Cooldown, even snow in the West
Meanwhile, in the West, after a weekend of record-breaking heat, a strong cold front was expected to bring notably cooler temperatures across much of California and the Great Basin on Monday.
Temperatures could drop by as much as 40 degrees across the southwestern US early this week as a new weather pattern ousts the intense, record-setting heat over the region, AccuWeather said.
Daytime temperatures across the Northwest into the northern Rockies are expected to be 10-20 degrees below normal in some locations, the Weather Service said.
Winter storm warnings and advisories are in effect for the mountains of northwest Montana, including the Glacier National Park area, where several inches of wet snow can be expected for elevations above 5,000 feet, according to the Weather Service.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism