A record-breaking heat dome has engulfed much of the U.S. this week, pushing temperatures to dangerous highs from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic.
According to AccuWeather, highs in the upper 90s and low 100s could continue through Thursday, with humidity prompting temperatures that feel well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in several regions.
Why It Matters
The heat wave, which began last weekend, has broken temperature records in several states. Philadelphia reached 101 degrees on Tuesday, surpassing a record more than a century old and marking its first 100-degree reading since July 2012, AccuWeather said.
Northern New York also tied historical records, with Plattsburgh hitting 101 degrees on Monday. In New York City, Monday’s 90-degree reading arrived more than two months earlier than in 2024.
What to Know
According to a forecast map shared with Newsweek, Mississippi and parts of Louisiana and Alabama are expected to face “sweltering” conditions, with temperatures feeling as high as 115 degrees.
Temperatures in Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia could feel as high as 110 degrees.
Meanwhile, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania may see so-called RealFeel temperatures of 100 to 105 degrees.
These figures are based on what AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines previously explained to Newsweek as RealFeel Temperature factors. These have more variables than the traditional heat index, which considers only air temperature and relative humidity. RealFeel calculations include temperature, dew point, wind speed and UV index, as well as minor adjustments for visibility and precipitation such as rain or snow, Kines said.
While the worst of the heat lingers over the southern mid-Atlantic and Southeast, some parts of the Northeast and Midwest have begun to see cooler conditions, AccuWeather said.
Cooler conditions reached the Plains and Upper Midwest earlier this week and are expected to spread into northern mid-Atlantic states on Thursday.
What People Are Saying
The National Weather Service said on X on Wednesday: “Over the past 3 days of this eastern U.S. heat wave, hundreds of record highs have been broken from the Plains to the East Coast. Many more are possible today, before a cold front, and showers and storms start to back down the extreme heat.”
What’s Next
Following earlier highs close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit this week, temperatures across much of the Midwest and Northeast are expected to fall into the 80s and 70s, AccuWeather said.
Boston and New York City could see a drop of 20 to 40 degrees by Thursday or Friday, driven by a rare backdoor cold front.
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