Triple-digit record heat peaks in the Rocky Mountain West
A heat dome began this weekend, breaking records across the northern Rockies and Northern Plains, and now will spread searing heat and humidity into the Midwest and East later this week.
This heat wave will affect many national parks, including Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as the Mighty Five in Utah. If your summer travels take you there this weekend, prepare for it to be a lot hotter than you might expect.
(MORE: What is a thermal dome?)
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Rocky Mountain, Northern Plains Forecast
Heat Alerts
Extreme heat watches and warnings extend from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest, including parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota.
An Extreme Heat Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for the occurrence of extreme heat, which could lead to heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, over the next 24 to 48 hours. The watch goes into alert mode when these conditions become more certain.
Now is the time to plan to suspend all essential outdoor activities if a warning is issued. If you don’t have air conditioning, find a nearby cooling room or discuss staying with nearby family or friends who have air conditioning.
How hot will it be?
Highs will reach the 90s and even triple digits every day through midweek in parts of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and the Dakotas.
In some of these areas, especially in larger cities, morning lows may not fall below 70 degrees.
Some of these areas could see at least some heat by midweek.
(MORE: 5 things you need to know to stay safe during the heat)
All time records?
These forecast highs may not only break records for a given day, but they may approach, equal or exceed the warmest temperatures on record for some locations in the Rocky Mountains and Northern Plains.
Salt Lake City has its record of 107 degrees set on five different days, most recently July 17 and September 7, 2022.
Billings, Montana, is approaching its first high of 110 in 92 years of records dating back to 1934. It’s just one of nearly two dozen places in eastern Montana and Wyoming that could reach their all-time highs.
(MORE: What is the all-time heat record in your state?)
Midwest, East forecast
When will he arrive?
The Upper Midwest was the first to see the arrival of hotter weather, especially in Minnesota.
The hot, humid air mass will then move through the rest of the Midwest by Monday and reach the East by Tuesday.
How hot will it be?
Many of these areas will see temperatures rise into the 90s by midday. Temperatures could approach 100 degrees in parts of the Midwest and East Coast around midweek.
This could set some daily records Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of the Northeast from New England and upstate New York to the mid-Atlantic states.
Morning lows, especially in larger cities, may remain in the mid to upper 70s without providing much relief in the evening or overnight.
(MORE: The deadliest weather in America is heat, not tornadoes or hurricanes)
When will help come?
For now, forecast models suggest that a fairly strong cold front could move out of eastern Canada and into the Northeast Tuesday through Wednesday.
This could lead to a relief in the heat from the northern Great Lakes into New England by mid-to-late week.
It could also produce severe thunderstorms with damaging winds ahead of the front.
(CARDS: US 10-Day Forecast: Highs and Lows)