The eastern half of the United States is set to face an intense heat wave starting late this week and peaking next week, according to forecasters. It could produce life-threatening temperatures over a large area for an extended period of time.
According to a National Weather Service forecast, highs in the Lowcountry are expected to reach 92 degrees today and 95 degrees on Saturday. By Sunday through Tuesday, high temperatures may drop slightly into the high 80s. The chance for showers is relatively low, but humidity levels are expected to be high, which will make it feel hotter than it actually is.
Humidity in the area will also contribute to the hazardous heat. Heat indexes are forecast to reach near 110 degrees across the South this weekend, according to the NWS.
The source of the record-threatening heat is a sprawling heat dome centered over northern Mexico and the southwest United States forecasted to shift eastward this weekend. Some models indicate that the heat dome could reach historic strength for the time of year, surpassing even the heat dome of June 29, 2012, which hit 109 degrees in Nashville, 105 in Raleigh and 104 in Washington, all on the same day.
The National Weather Service’s new HeatRisk map, an experimental index that provides a forecast of heat-related impacts, shows a large area of “extreme” level heat over a large area moving steadily eastward over the next few days.
To make matters worse, it’s already been one of the warmest years on record in the East, largely due to an absent winter and mild spring. Temperatures could rise to near 100 over the weekend from Atlanta to Raleigh as the heat dome shifts and strengthens.
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