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Heat dome threatens weeks of oppressive temperatures across much of the US
Forecasters warned temperatures could run 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, including overnight, affecting up to two-thirds of the continental US.
A dangerous heat wave was building across much of the United States under a persistent high pressure pattern, with forecasters saying a heat dome could trap oppressive temperatures for a week or more, potentially affecting as much as two-thirds of the continental US.
Insurance Journal reports that meteorologists expected widespread triple-digit highs across parts of the Southwest and Great Plains, with temperatures forecast to be 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal in many areas, including at night, which can be especially harmful because the body has less chance to recover.
The National Weather Service said more than 90 local temperature records were expected to be tied or broken through Wednesday, and two-thirds of those would be overnight heat records, including nights forecast to stay above 80 F in places such as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Galveston and Charleston.
In North Dakota, temperatures were expected to exceed 100 F until Tuesday, a sharp change for a state where summer temperatures are typically in the 80s, and local efforts were underway to cool vulnerable populations such as people living in homeless encampments where reaching air-conditioned places can be difficult.