As a heat wave moves south, heavy rains and flooding was soak the Gulf states, and snow had sever a portion of the Rockies and Northwest. Officials from the coast to the coast of the US warned residents to acquire precautions as hot and cold extremes are expected this week.
Intense heat swept across many parts of the US on Sunday as extreme wind swept across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Texas, Colorado, and Kansas. Unseasonably warm was forecast for the Pacific Northwest, and heavy rain was forecast for the northern Rocky Mountains and the northern Prairies to the upper Midwest.
More than 63 million people were reportedly experiencing heat recommendations on Sunday, which the National Weather Service estimated to stretch from the Southwest to Denver and off to Chicago. On Monday, a large portion of the Midwest and Northeast were subject to heating warnings or pieces.
Temperatures in Phoenix, which hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit ( 44.4 Celsius ) on Saturday, eased slightly on Sunday to 110 degrees Fahrenheit ( 43.3 Celsius ). The first two months of June in Phoenix have already been an average of 5.6 deg Celsius warmer than usual, according to climate services forecasters, making this the hottest June start ever to date.
According to Ted Whittock, a scientist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix,” We have already seen some very considerably high heat in our area.” ” We are recommending that people reduce their time outside between 10 a. m. and 6 p. m., be nourished and wear lighting, looser fitting clothing”.
The heat in metro Phoenix will ease a bit Monday through Wednesday, with the highs pushing back up as the week progresses, likely prompting another excessive heat warning, Whittock said.
In metro Phoenix, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023, which was a record, the heat has become especially dangerous in recent years.
In addition to the two new overnight cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioning after the sun goes down, the city and Maricopa County have taken additional measures this year in an effort to keep people safe. Since May 1, there have been more than 100 other cooling facilities open where visitors can enjoy cold beverages and cool beverages during the day.
A heat advisory was in effect over the weekend for Roswell’s Chavez County plains, where the high was expected to be 107 degrees F ( 41.6 % C ) on Monday. The high for Albuquerque reached 99 degrees F ( 37 C ) on Sunday and is forecast to cool slightly to 98 degrees F ( 36 C ) on Monday. The high Sunday was 104 F ( 40 C ) in El Paso, Texas, which opened five cooling centers.
On Sunday, temperatures in the metro Denver ranged from close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit ( 32.2 C ) to 100 degrees Fahrenheit ( 37.2 C ) in the state’s southern city of Pueblo, with more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit forecast for the state’s southern reaches on Monday.
The heat wave was moving eastward on Sunday into the Plains and the Great Lakes, and it was forecast to reach the Northeast by Tuesday. Even as heat indices were forecast to be close to 100 degrees F ( 37.5 C ) through the middle of the week, the threat of thunderstorms with potential high winds and heavy rainfall increased in the Chicago area.
As the heat wave spreads eastward, temperatures in Washington, D. C., and the rest of the mid- Atlantic, as well as New England, were likely to see highs in the mid- to upper- 90s as the week progresses, with excessive humidity making it feel even more oppressive.
Since 1936, the US has experienced the most heat waves last year, which were typically prolonged by more than two days.
Late-season snow was forecast for the northern Rockies on Monday and Tuesday, while the majority of the nation is expected to swelter. Parts of Montana and north- central Idaho were under a winter storm warning, with as much as 6 inches ( 15 centimeters ) of heavy, wet snow expected in the mountains around Missoula, Montana. As much as 20 inches ( 51 centimeters ) was predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
The central Gulf Coast will experience increased flash flooding and heavy rain in the coming days until Monday, as a new batch of tropical moisture arrives. Beginning on Monday morning, heavy rain is anticipated, with the humidity moving toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.
In southern Florida, where some areas in and around Miami and Fort Lauderdale were left underwater in recent days as storms dumped up to 20 inches ( 50 centimeters ) left them underwater.
The start of hurricane season, which is expected to be among the most active in recent memory, coincided with that unnamed storm system.
