Heat Wave To Bake Significant Parts Of US Through Mid-July
Extreme temperatures, mostly in the mid/the high 90s, are expected for the first half of July for much of the U.S., reported The Weather Channel.
These hotter-than-usual temperatures have already begun this week and will bake a significant part of the country this holiday weekend, with elevated temperatures forecasted through the midpoint of the month.
Current weather models show a heat dome is expected for much of the country:
A broad ridge of high pressure and a jet stream that will remain well to the north will allow heat to spread across large sections of the Plains, Midwest, Northeast, and Rockies.
This pattern will be supported by two domes of high pressure – one over the East and a second, stronger dome over the Southwest – that will cause air to sink and warm over their respective regions. The domes will also bring warmer air northward on their western and northern sides and diminish rain chances. – The Weather Channel
North America Temperature Anomalies: 4-Week Average
The epicenter of the heat will be centered initially around the Great Lakes area, then spread to much of the Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Temperatures will be 20 degrees above average in the Upper Midwest on July 4.
“The first half of July looks to have well-above-normal temperatures, at pretty high probabilities, beginning around the Fourth of July or slightly before,” Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, told NBC News.
Many large metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Northeast will be +10 degrees above average through the holiday weekend – an indication that energy demand will surge.
The most common use of degree days is for tracking energy usage – so we will examine cooling degree days (CDD) in several U.S. regions to determine a spike in energy usage is imminent.
Midwest CDD
Central CDD
Northeast CDD
Southeast CDD
