In oddball May heat wave, it's hotter in North Dakota than in Florida
A May heat wave is scorching portions of the central United States with near record-breaking high temperatures, raising concerns about wildfires and heat stress on people not used to the summer-like warmth.
Temperatures will soar well into the 90s and may even approach 100 degrees through May 13 over a thousand square miles of the northern Plains, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. This is significantly warmer than some locations in the southeast U.S., including Miami, Florida, which should only see highs in the mid-80s.
Extreme heat will also scorch much of Texas, where the National Weather Service warned that "many will not be acclimated to this type of heat so early within the year and thus the risk for heat-related illness is higher than normal. Please practice heat safety!"
Heat safety reminders include to "drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors," the weather service said.
Days of downpours: Storm that soaked Southeast to drench Mid-Atlantic
Indeed, residents throughout the Plains should plan ahead to find ways to stay cool and hydrated.
In southern Texas, major heat-related impacts may stick around through the second half of the week, said meteorologist Peter Mullinax in the National Weather Service's short-range forecast discussion.
"In some cases, temperatures will be 30-40 degrees above the historical average for May and shatter daily record highs by several degrees," Sosnowski said in an online forecast.
The dry heat is fueling wildfires in the upper Midwest, as another day of volatile fire weather is expected in northeast Minnesota on May 13, as crews continue to battle large wildfires burning out of control, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
AccuWeather warned that dry grasses and leaves leftover from the winter will become a prime source of fuel for any wildfire that ignites. "Small fires can rapidly escalate into major blazes and threaten lives and property," Sosnowski said.
The heat will also be felt in Texas this week, with highs in the triple digits along the Rio Grande Valley and into central Texas.
Temperatures have a high chance of setting new daily record highs and are expected to near, if not exceed, all-time record highs for the month of May, the National Weather Service in New Braunfels, Texas, said.
The heat will continue May 14: "Wednesday (May 14) sees the footprint of 80s and 90s temperatures grow across the Heartland with the hottest temperatures once again making their home in Texas," Mullinax said.
More opportunities for both record-breaking highs and record warm minimum temperatures will be common in parts of the Southern Plains and Upper Midwest through May 14, he added.
Farther west, winter is hanging on in the northern Rockies, as Mullinax said there is some high-elevation mountain snow in parts of Montana and Wyoming. "Over a foot of snow is forecast across Montana's southwest mountains, Wyoming's western mountain ranges, and Wyoming's Big Horn Mountains. Treacherous travel for recreation in those areas are likely."
This storm system also ushered in a considerably cooler air mass that will advance across the western U.S. through mid-week, he said. Temperatures from the West Coast to the Great Basin and Northern Rockies could be on the order of 10 to 20 degrees below normal May 13, with similar temperature anomalies throughout much of the Intermountain West on May 14.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: May heat wave scorches central US, fueling wildfires
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