Southwestern U.S. in grip of historic heatwave; 60 million warned of dangerous temps

Nine states and at least 60 million people in the U.S. are under warnings this week as a massive heatwave blankets the Southwest.

Excessive heat warnings and advisories “currently cover an expansive portion of the U.S. — stretching from the Desert Southwest to the Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley,” the National Weather Service said. “Another night of record-setting heat is expected across those areas, with nighttime temperatures forecast to bottom out in the upper 70s and 80s in many locations.”

Moreover, dangerous heat was slated to continue across the Southern and Central Plains Monday night, shifting north and east on Monday and Tuesday. Strong to severe storms were possible across the Northern and Central Plains, the Ohio Valley and the Mid Atlantic, the NWS said.

Texas is in the hot seat, with record-breaking temperatures predicted in Amarillo, Abilene and even Dallas, which could top 105 degrees, ABC News reported.

California isn’t far behind, with Furnace Creek on track to hit 118 degrees. Death Valley was 122 degrees on Saturday, earning the dubious distinction of being the hottest place in the country, according to NPR.

Dianna Andaya, relaxes in the cooling water of the American River as the temperature climbed over the 100 degree mark in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, June 10, 2022. (Rich Pedroncelli/)

How hot was it this weekend? It was so hot that a Phoenix man grilled burgers on his dashboard as temperatures reached 114 degrees, a tie with the same date in 1918, the Associated Press reported.

The midsummer air came to us courtesy of a bulge in the Jetstream, USA Today reported. This is going to expand eastward as well, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told USA Today. And it’s all going to lead to extreme weather, as well as create conditions that can be harmful to vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, newborns, children, the elderly and those with chronic illness, as the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, warned.

“Dangerous heat and humidity will arrive this week with peak heat index values over 100°F,” the National Weather Service in Chicago tweeted. “Heat-related illnesses may develop in fewer than 30 minutes after strenuous outdoor activity. The heat should break toward the end of the week.”

The blistering heat will leave the Southwest by Monday, when a strong Pacific cold front sweeps through, the NWS said.

“However, the heat will expand across the central into the eastern U.S., with record-breaking temperatures extending north into the Central Plains and east from the mid Mississippi Valley to the Carolinas on Monday,” the NWS continued.

While temperatures will get more moderate across the Plains, “the heat will continue to build, with well-above normal to record-breaking temperatures expected from the Midwest to the Carolinas on Tuesday,” the NWS said.

Conditions will be prime to wildfire ignition, the NWS warned, given the strong winds, low humidity and warmer temperatures ahead of that chillier front. The Four Corners Region will shift into Critical Fire Risk mode.

With News Wire Services