A ridge of high pressure expected to develop across the Northeast and Ohio Valley will send temperatures soaring to multi-year highs during the week.
The heatwave is expected to raise temperatures by more than 20 degrees above normal for mid-June, with heatstroke index values expected to reach dangerous ranges.
New York City is expected to see temperatures reach the mid-90s Fahrenheit on Thursday, while Boston could reach the upper 90s.
The arrival of summer is being felt across the region, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees in some areas.
Hundreds of daily records are expected to be broken from the Mississippi Valley to New England, and even some all-time records are in danger of being broken.
If temperatures are higher than expected, major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor could see temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
New York hasn’t seen temperatures exceed 100 degrees since July 18, 2012, during one of the worst heat waves in modern history.
“Not only will it be hot, but the air will be stagnant and we won’t have any cooling breezes through the mid-to-late week,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender.
Overnight temperatures aren’t expected to offer much relief from the heat, with lows only dropping into the 70s after sunset.
Higher night-time temperatures put additional heat stress on the body, increasing demand for air conditioning and driving up energy bills as buildings struggle to cool.
Fever that reaches life-threatening levels
In many areas where daily records are likely to be broken and where there are many paved roads, the National Weather Service’s heatstroke danger map classifies the area as Level 3 or Level 4 out of four.
The HeatRisk threat level takes into account the extreme nature of the heat, the duration of the extreme temperatures, and potential health impacts.
During the Code Red (Level 3) stage, heat affects people who are not adequately hydrated or have no cooling equipment.
Magenta (Level 4) indicates extreme heat that occurs infrequently or continues for long periods of time. Healthcare systems may be overwhelmed by an influx of heatstroke patients.
Most residents of Ohio, Indiana, New York and Vermont will be in Level 4 of 4 at the peak of the heatwave on Thursday.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common illnesses caused by high temperatures are heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Health experts warn that heatstroke occurs when the body’s internal temperature rises too quickly and exceeds its ability to cool itself.
Heat stroke can lead to serious health complications and is most common in young children and the elderly.
Long-term forecasts predicted a heatwave
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, in forecasts released this winter, began predicting that the I-95 corridor would be subject to summer heat waves.
The heatwaves appear likely to continue largely uninterrupted through the first half of the summer.
The outlook is very different from 2023, when the region saw its 35th hottest summer on record.
