The hottest temperatures of summer are on the way, and almost the entire US will be sweltering for the next few days.
A massive “heat dome” is settling in over the central United States, which means unlikely cities like Omaha, NE; Des Moines, IA, and Pierre, SD will experience temperatures around the 100s and heat indices of more than 110.
The culprit is a massive high-pressure system forming at exceptionally high altitudes that acts like a lid on a pressure-cooker, forcing hot air back down to the surface, where it gets even hotter.
The Midwest and Southeast are beginning to feel the effects Wednesday, and the East Coast and Atlantic Seaboard will start to bake from Thursday through the weekend.
By Thursday afternoon, the heat index, which calculates how hot it feels, will exceed 100 degrees from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains east to the Atlantic Ocean.
Northeastern cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, will see indices in the high 90s.
Lows will fall into the 70s at night, which won’t offer a lot of relief.
– Newschannel 6
