Nearly 50% of Americans under heat alerts as temperatures skyrocket across most of the US
It's uncomfortably hot nearly everywhere this week. An Excessive Heat Watch is in place for cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York, where feels-like temperatures could hit 110 through Tuesday. Over the weekend, heat advisories expanded to the Central U.S. and the Gulf Coast.
New York, Philly and DC baking in the heat
The Northeast is baking again, as the third heat wave of the summer brings heat indices into the triple digits again. Washington, D.C. hit 101 degrees in air temperature on Sunday, breaking a daily record set in 1954.
Few regions will be spared from the heat this week. On Monday, uncomfortable warmth encompassed most of the U.S., with nearly 160 million Americans, or about 50% of the population, under heat alerts.
Heat advisories are in place for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Florida, where dew points will increase the moisture in the air, making it harder for your body to cool. The central U.S. joins in on the sweaty situation with triple-digit feels-like temperatures forecast as the West continues to swelter in deadly conditions.
"Basically, anytime you see dew point temperatures in the 60s and 70s, it means it is sticky, muggy and humid. It almost feels like after you get done taking a hot shower and you step outside of the shower, right, you feel all of that moisture. That's what it feels like when dew points are in the mid and upper 70s. And then we have what's called a heat index or what it feels like to exposed skin," FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime said.
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The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Watch for cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York, where feels-like temperatures could hit 110 through Tuesday. A Heat Advisory covers cities in Pennsylvania, including Williamsport and State College.
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New York faces another heat wave
If the heat remains above average through Tuesday as forecast, this will mark the third heat wave of the summer for New Yorkers. A high of 94 degrees will feel like 101 degrees on Monday for New York City.
Children cool off with water from an open fire hydrant during a summer heat wave in the Bronx borough of New York on July 11, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Boston will feel just a few degrees shy of 100. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's air temperatures will flirt with triple digits on Monday, with a high of 98 degrees forecast and a heat index of 104.
(FOX Weather)
Heat builds this week in Washington and Carolinas
The heat in the nation's capital has been impressive so far this summer. This year, there have been six days in Washington, D.C., with a high of 97 degrees or higher.
Over the weekend, the heat and humidity returned to Washington, D.C. and across the Mid-Atlantic. Washington hit 101 on Sunday, a new record high for July 14, breaking a record set in 1954. It's the first time the capital city cracked 100 degrees since 2012.
Kendall Brown pushes coolers filled with water to sell near the Lincoln Memorial during a heat wave on July 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Washington D.C. area was under an excessive heat warning Monday, as parts of the country continued to face a heat wave. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
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By Tuesday, the heat index is forecast to rocket up to 107 degrees in Washington, likely the warmest week yet.
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The heat advisory covers parts of southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina, including Charlotte and Raleigh.
Heat index values are forecast to hit 109, with some areas briefly topping out at 111 degrees. The heat will crescendo on Monday in Charlotte with a forecast air temperature of 99 degrees. Highs are forecast in the upper 90s through Wednesday before some relief late in the week.
West sees minor break and central U.S. heats up
For the first time since last week, heat advisories in Central and Southern California expired. Days of 120-degree temperatures in California and Arizona have led to dozens of heat-related deaths.
According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, the cooling trend will continue through Tuesday, but warm temperatures, even extreme heat, are likely to return by the weekend. Downtown Los Angeles temperatures are running about 1.6 degrees above average for July.
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Meanwhile, heat advisories expanded to the central U.S. this weekend. Parts of Iowa and Nebraska are under an Excessive Heat Warning, where residents face feels-like temperatures up to 114 degrees through Monday.
(FOX Weather)
Heat advisories cover Kansas, Missouri, parts of South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. The heat is helping fuel the severe weather threat in the Midwest where damaging storms continue to cause destruction from the Plains to the Upper Midwest. Monday's severe weather potential includes Milwaukee and Chicago.
Heat indices are forecast to remain in the triple digits for Oklahoma City, Little Rock and Wichita through Tuesday.
Central U.S. forecast air temperatures for Monday.
(FOX Weather)
Heat alerts extended into the Gulf Coast States on Monday, including Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The heat index in New Orleans on Monday could hit 112 degrees.