The Northeast and Midwest, including New York City and Boston, are bracing for what could be the hottest weather in three decades as scorching heat sweeps across much of the country this week.
With the official first day of summer on Thursday, 265 million people, or about 82% of the U.S. population, will experience temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit over the next six days.
Many cities in the Midwest and Northeast could experience what the National Weather Service is calling a “rare and prolonged heat wave” with temperatures above 95 degrees for up to five consecutive days, and high humidity that could make it feel like 100 to 105 degrees.
As of Monday morning, heat warnings were in effect for 17 states from Iowa to Maine. Heat watches were in effect for Sunday for parts of New England, including Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Temperatures in Concord, New Hampshire, are expected to reach 101 degrees on Wednesday.
The Ohio Valley could be hit by one of the most shocking heatwaves of the 21st century, with temperatures in Louisville, Kentucky, expected to reach 94 degrees on Wednesday, 97 degrees on Thursday and 99 degrees on Friday.
New York City could feel its first heat wave of the year, with temperatures expected to reach 91 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, 94 degrees on Thursday and 96 degrees on Friday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference Monday morning that he expects the National Weather Service to issue heat watches for the nation’s largest city on Thursday and Friday. He said the city would open cooling centers on Tuesday.
“The heat will peak on Thursday and Friday with the heat index potentially reaching 99 degrees Fahrenheit,” Adams said. “I want to be clear: this is unusually hot for June and New Yorkers should not underestimate the heat.”
The hot weather will continue in Pittsburgh, where temperatures are expected to rise from 97 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday to as much as 98 degrees on Thursday and Friday.
The heat wave forecast for Pittsburgh could make this the city’s hottest June ever. The previous record for a five-day period in June was set in 1994, when the average temperature was 96.4 degrees.
Pittsburgh’s most severe heat wave ever occurred in mid-July 1988, when city residents suffered temperatures of 98.6 degrees for five consecutive days.
Washington, D.C., is also expected to see temperatures reach the 90s and could approach 100 by Friday.
High temperatures are also expected in Ohio and southeastern Michigan, where heat watches are in effect for Monday through Friday.
Daily temperature records are expected to fall this week in Chicago, Green Bay, Cleveland and Toledo.
Daytime heat records could also be broken in upstate New York. Temperatures in Rochester are expected to reach 94 degrees on Monday, tying the daytime record. Syracuse is also expected to reach 94 degrees on Monday, breaking the daytime record.
In the West, dangerous heat is expected in Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
Extreme heat warnings were issued for Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, where temperatures could reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to reach 105 degrees in Roswell, New Mexico, on Sunday, with similarly warm temperatures expected in El Paso and Fort Stockton, Texas.
Officials are warning people braving such high temperatures to stay hydrated, avoid the heat and check on elderly neighbours and relatives.
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