Brutal temperatures will hit cities from Boston to Washington
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A heat wave will intensify along the East Coast this week as tropical humidity levels and 37 C temperatures reach big cities from Boston to Washington.
On Sunday, humidity levels were higher in parts of the Northeast and southern Canada than in Florida, breaking records in some places.
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As of 6 a.m. Monday, temperatures exceeded 75 degrees for 190 million people across 33 states, underscoring that there will be limited relief from heat at night and in the morning. In New York, the low temperature Monday morning was 27 C, which could become the earliest such low temperature since records began in 1869.
During the week ahead, around 95 locations in the Midwest and East are forecast to approach high-temperature records. About 150 locations across 31 states may experience record warm nights, especially from Monday to Wednesday.
Late in the week, eastern heat will be tempered by clouds, showers and strong storms, though a renewed surge of hot weather will hit central states.
Record-breaking temperatures
High-temperature records may be approached, tied or broken in 23 states this week, from Illinois to Maine, and southward to Georgia.
Record warm nights may affect 31 states, from Florida to Kansas, northward to Michigan and Maine.
No state along the East Coast will be spared the chance for record-breaking heat.
In cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, where it’s forecast to reach 37 C , notable June heat records could be neared, tied or broken.
For many eastern states, maximum heat index values are forecast to range from 40.5 to 46 degrees from Monday to Wednesday, significantly raising the risk for heat-related illnesses. Extreme heat warnings, watches and advisories stretch from Maine to South Carolina.
By Thursday and Friday, the dome of heat will weaken as widespread afternoon showers and thunderstorms return to the Eastern Seaboard.
Unusually high humidity
On Sunday, parts of the Northeast and southern Canada were more humid than Florida.
Maximum dew points, a direct measure of how much water vapor is in the air near the ground, broke June hourly records in Ithaca (26 C) and Syracuse (25 C) in New York and Toronto (25 C).
As of early Monday, very high humidity was affecting more than 230 million people across 31 states. Extreme humidity was in place for an additional 20 million people in 15 states.
Humidity levels will reach a peak in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Monday evening, when more June records may be set.
Surges of very high to extreme humidity are expected across the Mid-South, Midwest and Plains throughout the week.
There won’t be any significant relief from humidity in the Mid-Atlantic nor Southeast.
Because of these conditions, several states in the East and Midwest are forecast to have an extreme Level 4 out of 4 risk for heat-related impacts for four or five consecutive days.
The unusually humid weather is being driven by tropical winds from the marine heat-wave-affected Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Marine heat waves can increase air temperatures and atmospheric moisture.
How long it will last
A cold front from Canada will bring brief relief from the heat and humidity to the Upper Midwest on Monday and Tuesday and then the Northeast on Friday, though it’s unlikely to push south of New York.
In the Mid-Atlantic and points farther south, there may not be any significant relief until early July.
Before that possible relief, another surge of heat and humidity will probably move across the Plains and Midwest next weekend, reaching the East Coast in about a week.
Beyond the United States and southern Canada, heat waves are hitting southern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia this week, with around 1.4 billion people forecast to experience very unusually warm temperatures globally – more than double the number forecast to experience very unusually cool conditions.
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