Heat wave bakes much of the Lower 48
A vast swath of the United States is roasting under the latest heat wave of the summer. A scorching heat wave last month registered higher temperatures, but this one is hitting a larger area, with forecasters warning of potentially dangerous temperatures from the Dakotas to New England.
Weather advisories were issued for parts of at least 19 states. As temperatures soared into the 90s across the country, authorities were urging residents to seek out air conditioning, cooling shelters or community pools.
In late June, a heat wave toasted the West, with temperatures rising past 110 degrees in Las Vegas and Phoenix and soaring to 129 degrees in Death Valley in California. The heat contrasted with a band of rainfall that hit the East Coast and delivered three times the normal amount of rainfall to some areas.
“Basically, the pattern has flipped,” said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.
Atmospheric pressure centered on the Kentucky region – called a “heat dome” by weather experts – is causing sinking air across most of the United States. The bad atmospheric ventilation is leading to poor air quality in some places.
On Wednesday, temperatures averaged in the low 90s from the upper Midwest to the East Coast. It’s nothing too unusual for the time of year, forecasters said.
“This is a significant heat weave, but it’s somewhat typical of what you’d expect in late July,” Vaccaro said.
Muggy conditions brought on by humidity made it feel like 100 – or higher – in some places.
Officials in affected areas were asking people to stay hydrated and seek air conditioning. In cities such as New York, community cooling shelters have opened to residents.
Since Monday in New York, the average number of daily medical calls received by the Fire Department climbed up from about 3,500 to about 4,000, department spokesman Frank Dwyer told the Los Angeles Times. The temperature hit 95 in New York on Wednesday.
In the suburbs of Washington, D.C., in Maryland, a failing water main forced hundreds of thousands of people to cut back water use as officials worked to make emergency repairs.
A more serious shortage seemed imminent earlier this week, when it appeared Prince George’s County would have to cut water access entirely for three to five days while the pipe was repaired. But on Wednesday, officials announced a water-diversion measure to avert the crisis.
“We’re still in multiple water restrictions, but residents will not go without water,” Prince George’s County spokesman Scott L. Peterson said.
The good news: Relief is on the way.
A cold front is forecast to move into the upper Midwest on Thursday and into the Great Lakes region on Friday, hitting the Northeast over the weekend, Vaccaro said.
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Twitter: @devckelly
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