This week, about 100 million people in the United States experienced extreme temperatures in the form of a heat dome. scorching western part of the country extends to the northeast.
In Billings, Montana, temperatures hit a record high of 111 degrees on Sunday as dangerous heat was felt across the Great Basin, Rocky Mountains and parts of the desert southwest.
Maps show latest heat wave
Temperatures this time of year are forecast to be 20 to 30 degrees above average, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Some places will see record temperatures all week.
CBS News
The North Level peak is expected on Tuesday and the Northeast Level peak on Wednesday. Over the next few days, the heat index will reach 90 and over 100 across this vast swath of the country.
CBS News
Salt Lake City hit a record high of 109 degrees on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was 107 degrees, last broken in 1960, 2002, 2021 and twice in 2022. Much of Utah was under a heat warning that was expected to remain in effect until Tuesday morning.
The heat also spread across the Dakotas, with forecasters issuing heat warnings for large areas of both states.
Forecasters warned of the dangers of an unusually long heat wave that they called “exceptionally rare” for some places, even into mid-July. The National Weather Service said dangerous heat will spread eastward at times, remaining in this central region through next weekend.
A heat dome—an atmospheric phenomenon that essentially traps hot air in a specific location—built in the West after the first wave of summer began baking the area. last week. Now forecasters say people should prepare for widespread temperatures of 105 to 115 degrees, which would break numerous local temperature records and increase the risk of wildfires. They also warned of an increased risk of heat-related illnesses, including heatstroke.
“Extremely hot daytime highs combined with potentially record warm lows will lead to increased heat stress over the next few days due to limited terrain,” the weather service said.
Heat fuels forest fires and causes thunderstorms
In California Antelope Valley Summit Fire temporarily forced people outside Los Angeles to evacuate as nearly 3,000 acres were burned. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said crews have made significant progress in extinguishing the fire, with containment at 31% as of Sunday evening. CBS Los Angeles reports..
Extreme heat is expected in parts of Southern California and Arizona through Thursday, Nolan said. Temperatures are forecast to reach 90 to 100 degrees, especially in the desert Southwest. Nolan forecast overnight temperatures in Southern California will be record high, but the Southwest is not expected to break records.
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Two wildfires broke out Sunday in Colorado’s high country even as firefighters continued to battle the blaze. Fire in Aspen Acresas a result of which more than 850 buildings, including hundreds of houses, burned down.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, surveyed the damage this week and said the state needs more funding to fight wildfires.
“There were huge cuts in the fire department, in the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), cuts were everywhere,” Hickenlooper said.
Risk of rain and flooding
Heavy rainfall and flooding are causing concern in parts of the South. In Louisiana, thunderstorms dumped inches of rain on New Orleans, forcing families to wade through knee-deep water.
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Also on Saturday, hundreds of people were rescued amid Historic flash flood in Missouri. Rescue crews airlifted more than 200 people stranded at a children’s camp after 6 to 12 inches of rain fell in the southeastern part of the state.
Further east, communities in the Philadelphia area were cleaning up after powerful microbursts swept through neighborhoods with winds gusting up to 70 mph. Mayor Sherell Parker signed an emergency declaration Sunday. CBS Philadelphia reported.
Carter Evans, Nikki Nolan and Andrew Kozak contributed to this report.