PHOENIX (AP) — Extreme heat and cold are expected this week in the U.S., and officials have warned residents in the Southwest to be vigilant as a heat wave moves eastward while heavy rain and flooding could drench Gulf states and bring snow to parts of the Rocky Mountains and Northwest.
The heatwaves spread across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. bad weather The storm battered much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing unseasonably cold temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, snow to the northern Rockies, and heavy rain expected from the Northern Plains to the upper Midwest.
National Weather Service Estimation More than 63 million people were under heat warnings Sunday, from the Southwest to as far north as Denver and Chicago.
Temperatures in Phoenix hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, before cooling slightly to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. Forecasters say temperatures in Phoenix for the first two weeks of June are already 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, making it the hottest start to June on record.
“We’ve already seen some pretty high temperatures in this region,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We recommend limiting time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., staying hydrated and wearing light, loose-fitting clothing.”
Whittock said the heat in the Phoenix metropolitan area will ease somewhat Monday through Wednesday, but temperatures will likely rise again as the week progresses, bringing about another heat warning.
The heat has been especially dangerous in the Phoenix metropolitan area in recent years. 645 people died In 2023, the number of deaths from heatstroke reached a record high.
The city and Maricopa County have taken additional steps this year to keep people safe, including opening two new nighttime cooling centers where people can rest in air-conditioned spaces after the sun goes down. Since May 1, more than 100 cooling centers have opened where people can get chilled water and find a cool space to sit during the day.
In neighboring New Mexico, a heat watch was issued over the weekend for the Chaves County Plains, which includes Roswell, where temperatures were expected to reach a high of 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.6 degrees Celsius) on Monday. The high in Albuquerque was expected to reach 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on Sunday before dropping slightly to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) on Monday. The high temperature on Sunday was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in El Paso, Texas, where five cooling centers were opened.
Temperatures in Colorado ranged from near 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) in the Denver metropolitan area on Sunday to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) in the southern city of Pueblo, with temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday in the southern part of the state.
The heat wave is expected to move eastward on Sunday, spreading across the Plains and Great Lakes region, reaching the Northeast by Tuesday. Thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rain are expected to be more prevalent in the Chicago area, even as heat indexes are expected to reach nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) through the middle of the week.
As the heat wave spreads eastward, Washington, DC, other parts of the Mid-Atlantic and New England are expected to see temperatures reach the mid- to upper 90s as the week progresses, with excess humidity making it even more muggy.
Last year in the United States Most frequent heat wavesSince 1936, an unusually hot weather event lasting more than two days.
Amid sweltering heat across much of the country, late season snow is forecast for the northern Rocky Mountains on Monday and Tuesday. Winter storm warnings are in effect for parts of Montana and north-central Idaho, where up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of heavy, wet snow is expected to fall in the mountain areas around Missoula, Montana. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow is expected in the higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
Meanwhile, the influx of new tropical moisture will increase the risk of heavy rain and flash flooding along the central Gulf Coast late Sunday night into Monday. Heavy rain is expected to begin falling Monday morning, with moisture expected to move toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.
of Severe flooding Heavy rains continue to melt in southern Florida, but some areas around Miami and Fort Lauderdale have been flooded by up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain in recent days.
that Nameless Storm This year coincided with the early start of hurricane season. Most Active In recent memory.
