Posted on 06/16/24
| News Source: CNN
The year’s most significant heat wave so far is expected to roast a large portion of the central and southern United States on Father’s Day Sunday with potentially record-breaking high temperatures, four days away from summer’s official start.
The National Weather Service warned people in the South and Midwest planning to celebrate dads outdoors on Sunday to stay cool amid a major heat risk, with high temperatures into the 90s in some areas.
The intense heat wave won’t stop there. An expansive and exceptionally strong heat dome will build Sunday over the East and stretch into the Midwest and Great Lakes over the next few days, with the heat expected to persist through the week.
Heat domes trap air in place and bake it with abundant sunshine for days on end, making each day hotter than the last.
The final Sunday of spring will be a scorcher in the Plains and Midwest, where temperatures will reach the mid- to upper 90s, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
People living across the Great Lakes region can expect temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s.
The Mississippi River Valley will be slammed with the worst of Sunday’s sweltering conditions, with large portions of both states facing a Level 3 – or major – risk of heat-related impacts.
The National Weather Service office in St. Louis encouraged residents to take extra precautions Sunday for its hottest day of the year. “It will feel like 100-105 during the afternoon hours. We aren’t used to this kind of heat yet,” forecasters wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sunday’s unrelenting heat will be felt across states including Kansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, according to the weather service.