Extreme heat and cold spells are expected across the U.S. this week. Authorities have warned residents of the Southwest to take precautions as a heat wave moves east, while heavy rains and flooding could drench the Gulf states and snow threatens parts of the Rocky Mountains and the Northwest.
Extreme heat spread across Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas, Colorado and Kansas. storm On Sunday, much of the United States experienced unusually cold weather within the Pacific Northwest, snow moved into the northern Rocky Mountains, and heavy precipitation was forecast from the northern Plains to the Midwest.
The National Weather Service estimated A heat warning was in effect on Sunday for greater than 63 million people, stretching from the southwest north through Denver to Chicago.
Temperatures in Phoenix, which reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, dropped barely to 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. Meteorologists say the primary two weeks of June in Phoenix have already averaged 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal, making it the most popular begin to June on record.
“We’ve already seen some pretty high temperatures in our area,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We recommend everyone reduce their time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., drink plenty of fluids and wear light, loose-fitting clothing.”
Heat levels within the Phoenix metropolitan area will ease somewhat Monday through Wednesday, but highs will rise again later within the week, likely leading to a different heat warning, Whittock said.
The heat has been particularly dangerous lately within the greater Phoenix area, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023, which is a record.
The city and county of Maricopa have taken additional measures this 12 months to maintain people safer, including two recent cooling centers where people can rest overnight in air-conditioned rooms after sunset. Since May 1, over 100 additional cooling centers have been open where people can get cold water and sit in a cool room through the day.
In neighboring New Mexico, a heat warning was in effect over the weekend for the plains of Chavez County, including Roswell, where highs of 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.6 degrees Celsius) were forecast for Monday. The high in Albuquerque reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on Sunday and is predicted to chill barely to 107 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) on Monday. The high on Sunday was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in El Paso, Texas, where five cooling centers were opened.
In Colorado, temperatures ranged from slightly below 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) in parts of the Denver metropolitan area on Sunday to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) within the southern city of Pueblo. Temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit are expected within the southern reaches of the state on Monday.
The heat wave moved eastward into the Plains and Great Lakes region on Sunday and was expected to achieve the Northeast on Tuesday. The threat of thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rain increased within the Chicago area, although heat indicators predicted temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) by midweek.
As the warmth wave spreads eastward, temperatures in Washington, DC and the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic region and New England are expected to achieve highs of 95 to almost 100 degrees later this week, with high humidity making the sensation much more oppressive.
In the USA last 12 months there have been most heat wavesconsisting of unusually hot weather lasting greater than two days since 1936.
As heat melts across much of the country, late fall snowfall was forecast for the northern Rockies on Monday and Tuesday. A winter storm warning was issued for parts of Montana and north-central Idaho, with as much as 6 inches of heavy, wet snow expected within the mountains around Missoula, Montana. Up to twenty inches was forecast for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture will bring an increasing threat of heavy rains and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast late Sunday night and Monday. Heavy rains are expected Monday morning, with moisture moving toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.
The severe flooding In South Florida, water attributable to heavy rains continued to recede, with some areas in and around Miami and Fort Lauderdale under water in recent days as storms dumped as much as 20 inches of water.
The unnamed storm system coincided with the early start of the hurricane season, which is predicted this 12 months amongst essentially the most lively recently.
