Heat dome will blanket much of the US, with worrisome temperatures in Midwest
Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling temperatures and uncomfortable humidity to millions.
The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where forecasters are warning of extreme temperature impacts.
This will be the first stretch of true summertime weather for many from Midwest to the East Coast, said Tom Kines, a meteorologist at the private weather company AccuWeather.
"A lot of those folks have been saying, where's summer? Well, buckle up, because it's coming," said Kines. The humid conditions will make places that exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) feel as much as 20 degrees hotter, said Kines.
Heat dome forming
A heat dome occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir that traps heat and humidity, said Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Illinois.
According to the NWS Weather Prediction Center, daytime temperatures will be in the 90s Fahrenheit (30s Celsius) and overnight temperatures will only drop to the mid-70s Fahrenheit (mid-20s Celsius) from the Great Lakes to the East Coast during the heat wave that's expected to last into next week.
Moisture blown northward from the Gulf of Mexico is fueling the muggy weather, said Jacob Asherman, a Weather Prediction Center meteorologist. This influx of moisture is fairly typical during late spring and summer, he said. The Gulf, which shares borders with Mexico and the U.S., was renamed by President Donald Trump to the Gulf of America.
The heat will be widespread into next week. On Friday, Denver could reach 100°F (38°C), according to the weather service. Chicago temperatures could reach 96 degrees (36°C) on Sunday. On Tuesday, Washington, D.C., could see a high of 99°F (37°C) and New York Central Park could reach 96°F (36°C).
Several states in the Midwest could see dangerous temperature impacts over the weekend, according to a weather service measure that rates the risk from zero to four. Parts of Nebraska and Kansas will be in the highest category on the scale on Saturday, meaning that anyone without effective cooling or sufficient hydration could face health risks. On Sunday, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois also see a category 4 rating.
High humidity makes it hard to cool down
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air, and the heat index is what the temperature feels like when the humidity outside is factored in, according to the weather service.
When humans sweat, it cools the body down because it absorbs and removes heat as it evaporates off the skin. The air is saturated with water on humid days, which makes it harder for sweat to evaporate. Hot and humid days can be dangerous when the body is unable to cool itself off and can exacerbate pre-existing health conditions and even lead to heat stroke.
Minimizing direct sun exposure, wearing loose and light-colored clothing, staying hydrated and spending time in air-conditioned spaces are ways to cool down during extreme heat, according to the NWS.
Some parts of the U.S., such as Phoenix, Arizona, are famously hot without the mugginess. Phoenix and nearby desert regions experience this so-called "dry heat" due to being located far away from large water bodies, mountains that block moist air masses and weather patterns that bring scarce precipitation.
Sweat evaporates faster in dry climates compared to humid ones. This can be dangerous because it is easy to underestimate how dehydrated you are, according to Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System.
Even the crops "sweat"
In places such as Iowa, crops can affect the humidity in summer months. Plants feel the effects of hot weather and some people in the Midwest are familiar with " corn sweat," which is when crops move water to their leaves and other surfaces so it can evaporate, according to the Ohio State University.
Madison County, Iowa, farmer Ryan Marquardt said corn sweat is "not as bad as a sauna, but it definitely would have a sauna effect. It's humid in there (the cornfield), so you're gonna sweat."
Cornfield contributions to the overall humidity are much lower compared to the humidity winds carry from the Gulf, according to OSU.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cedar News
a day ago
- Cedar News
New York Flooding State of Emergency Declared Amid Torrential Rain
New York Flooding State of Emergency Issued by Governor Kathy Hochul Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a New York flooding state of emergency following intense downpours that have overwhelmed drainage systems in New York City and nearby counties. The emergency order enables rapid deployment of rescue and recovery operations as flooding disrupts major transit routes. Flooding Threatens Evening Commute in NYC and Surrounding Areas In a public statement, Governor Hochul said: 'Heavy rain and potential flooding are expected to affect the evening commute. Employers are encouraged to dismiss employees early.' Rainfall exceeding 2 to 4 inches per hour in some areas has caused waterlogged streets, delayed subways, and stranded vehicles. Kathy Hochul's Action on the New York Flooding State of Emergency The New York flooding state of emergency allows for coordinated efforts between state and local agencies. Emergency crews are monitoring flood-prone neighborhoods, while shelters and high-ground evacuation centers are being prepared if conditions worsen. New Yorkers are urged to: Avoid non-essential travel Monitor alerts from the National Weather Service Stay away from flooded roads and subways Prepare for potential power outages or transit shutdowns The New York flooding state of emergency is expected to remain in effect until the storm system passes safely.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Nahar Net
Huge quake off Russia sparks Pacific tsunamis
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 July 2025, 12:56 One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's sparsely populated Far East on Wednesday, causing tsunamis up to four meters (12 feet) high across the Pacific and sparking evacuations from Hawaii to Japan. The magnitude 8.8 quake struck off Petropavlovsk on Russia's remote Kamchatka peninsula, and was the largest since 2011 when one of magnitude 9.1 off Japan and a subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,000 people. Russian authorities said a tsunami hit and flooded the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, crashing through the port area and submerging the local fishing plant. Authorities said the population of around 2,000 people was evacuated. The waves -- which were up to four meters high in some areas -- reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 meters from the shore line, according to Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. Several people were injured in Russia by the quake, state media reported, but none seriously. "The walls were shaking," a Kamchatka resident told state media Zvezda. "It's good that we packed a suitcase, there was one with water and clothes near the door. We quickly grabbed it and ran out... It was very scary," she said. - Millions advised to evacuate - Officials from countries with a Pacific coastline in North and South America -- including the United States, Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia -- issued warnings to avoid threatened beaches and low-lying areas. In Japan, nearly two million people were advised to evacuate, and many left by car or on foot to higher ground. One woman was killed as she drove her car off a cliff as she tried to evacuate, local media reported. A 1.3-metre high tsunami reached a port in the northern prefecture of Iwate, Japan's weather agency said. In Hawaii, governor Josh Green said flights in and out of the island of Maui had been cancelled as a precaution. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later downgraded the alert for Hawaii to an advisory. Earlier, tsunami sirens blared near Hawaii's popular Waikiki surf beach where an AFP photographer saw gridlocked traffic as Hawaiians escaped to higher ground. "STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!" US President Donald Trump said on social media. - Pacific alerts - Wednesday's quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952, the regional seismic monitoring service said, warning of aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude. The epicenter is roughly the same as the massive 9.0 quake that year which resulted in a destructive, Pacific-wide tsunami, according to the USGS. The organization said it was one of the 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded. On Wednesday at least six aftershocks further rattled the Russian Far East, including one of 6.9 magnitude and another listed at 6.3. The US Tsunami Warning Centers said waves exceeding three meters above the tide level were possible along some coasts of Ecuador, northwestern Hawaiian islands and Russia. Between one- and three-meter waves were possible along some coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Japan and other islands in the Pacific, it said. Waves of up to one meter were possible elsewhere, including Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga and Taiwan. - Fukushima evacuated - At Inage Beach in Chiba prefecture in Japan, a security perimeter was set up, and a rescue worker told AFP that the seaside area was off limits until further notice. "I didn't expect there to be a tsunami; I actually made a joke about it when we heard (the alert)," Canadian tourist Leana Lussier, 17, told AFP. Workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan -- destroyed by a huge quake and tsunami in 2011 -- were evacuated, its operator said. In Taitung in Taiwan, hotel resort worker Wilson Wang, 31, told AFP: "We've advised guests to stay safe and not go out, and to avoid going to the coast." Pacific nation Palau, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the Philippines, ordered the evacuation of "all areas along the coastline."
Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Nahar Net
Heavy rain causes flooding, evacuations and at least 38 deaths around Beijing
by Naharnet Newsdesk 29 July 2025, 12:07 Almost a year's worth of rain caused flooding and landslides that washed away cars, forced evacuations and knocked out power around the Chinese capital, killing at least 38 people by Tuesday and rescue and relief work continued. The flood risk for parts of Beijing, Hebei province and neighboring Tianjin city remained high until Tuesday evening. State media broadcast footage of muddy waters rising into homes in rural areas and rescuers carrying an injured person on a stretcher and searching on a damaged road. Premier Li Qiang said the heavy rain and flooding in the hard-hit Beijing district of Miyun caused "serious casualties" and called for rescue efforts, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The Beijing Daily, a state-backed paper, reported that the city had received 54.3 centimeters (21.4 inches) of rain in the last four days, which is just a bit short of the 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) the city receives annually in a year. The storm knocked out power in more than 130 villages in Beijing, destroyed communication lines and damaged more than 30 sections of road. More than 16 centimeters (6 inches) of rain fell on average in Beijing by midnight, with two towns in Miyun recording 54 centimeters (21 inches) of precipitation, the city said. Heavy flooding washed away cars and downed power poles in Miyun, an outlying district that borders Hebei's Luanping county. More than 80,000 people have been relocated in Beijing, including about 17,000 in Miyun, a Beijing city statement said. The city government said 28 people died in Miyun and two others in Yanqing district Monday. Four additional people in neighboring Hebei province were discovered dead Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, after eight people were said to be missing after a landslide in a rural part of Luanping county in the province. Authorities had found four of the dead Monday. Emergency rescue teams said more landslides occurred in the same region Tuesday, although they did not report any further casualties. Uprooted trees lay in piles in the town of Taishitun, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of central Beijing. Streets were covered with water, with mud left higher up on the walls of buildings.
