Millions of Americans are bracing for dangerous temperatures early next week as a heat wave sweeps across the Midwest and Eastern United States.
Heat warning The high pressure system that caused havoc in the West last week is slowly moving across the country, stretching from Kansas and Texas into New York and South Carolina.
Air quality alerts have also been issued in major East Coast cities, including New York and Philadelphia, warning people that outdoor conditions are dangerous for people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Near-record daily temperatures are expected in several cities, including 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Monday afternoon and 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) in New York City on Tuesday. High humidity will make the temperature feel even hotter, making the heat wave even more dangerous, especially in areas without air conditioners or other adequate cooling facilities.
The National Weather Service warned that “severe heat” and “extreme heat” was expected across much of the East and parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley.
The current heat and humidity is expected to peak by Tuesday afternoon, with cooler air from Canada providing some relief later this week. Northwest.
Red flag warnings were issued for parts of Oregon and Idaho as a combination of high winds, low relative humidity and high temperatures creates high-fire conditions, and flash flooding and tornadoes are also expected in parts of Illinois and the Midwest, including Minneapolis, the NWS said.
Across the United States, the start of a very hot heatwave has seen heatstroke deaths reported in several states as the climate emergency increases the likelihood of more extreme temperatures and prolonged heat waves.
The deadly heat waves that hit large swaths of Mexico, Central America and the southern US in May and June are 35 times more likely to occur because of man-made global warming, according to a study by leading climate scientists at World Weather Attribution.
