The heat wave in the central United States will occur around the time of the year when the sun is highest in the sky and can make for sweltering to dangerous conditions.
With some significant heat expected to hit the south-central U.S. for the next couple of days, here’s how you can plan ahead using the AccuWeather RealFeel® when you download the free app.
The hottest weather of the season so far will build over the central United States later this week with widespread highs in the 90s Fahrenheit and some 100-degree readings in store from the Rockies to the Mississippi Valley, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Warmth into Monday is just a taste for what is ahead later this week as an area of high pressure builds near the surface and the jet stream level of the atmosphere over the middle of the nation.
As the jet stream bulges north later this week, it may deflect much of the Canada wildfire smoke to the north and should make it harder for thunderstorms to develop and moisture from the Gulf to fuel downpours.
Over time this week and into next weekend, the overall current extensive coverage of shower and thunderstorm activity should diminish from the Rockies to the Plains.
At the peak of the building heat wave, Denver is forecast to top 100 degrees. The previous high-temperature mark for the year as of June 15 was only 92 degrees, and that was reached just a day earlier. The historical average high temperature for Denver in mid-June is in the upper 80s.
After a multiple-day stretch with highs in the lower 90s into Monday, high temperatures in Denver will trend back into the 70s and 80s into midweek before an even bigger heat wave takes hold later in the week. The heat wave from Friday into next weekend will feature several days with highs in the 90s and 100s.
Temperatures from the eastern slopes of the Rockies to the High Plains and part of the Mississippi Valley will surge to 10-15 and even 20 degrees above the historical average from late this week to next weekend.
Many locations will easily experience their hottest weather of the year so far. St. Louis, for example, has not yet hit 90 degrees this year as of June 15. After a brief taste of 90-degree weather on Tuesday, from late this week into the following week, highs well into the 90s are forecast.
While Chicago has had a couple of 90-degree days so far this spring, temperatures are forecast to reach the 90s on a daily basis for a stretch of days and peak in the mid-90s and likely eclipse the current season high mark of 94 degrees set on May 15.
The vast zone of heat with significant humidity levels will make for dangerous conditions, and care should be taken not to overdo any activity in the midday and afternoon hours.
The sun is very intense within a few weeks of the solstice, June 22, and significantly boosts AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can strike even physically fit individuals in the prime of their lives.
It is likely that RealFeel® Temperatures will easily top 100 degrees over a broad area and may exceed 110 degrees in some locations in the central U.S. during the upcoming heat wave.
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