Summer isn’t wasting any time.
A “significant and extremely dangerous heat wave” is sending temperatures soaring across much of the United States this weekend, with unhealthy levels of heat stretching from the Central Plains to the East Coast, according to forecasters with the Weather Prediction Center, and it is expected to continue into next week.
Temperatures at the end of spring have been relatively mild across the East, and Alex Lamers, a forecaster with the center, warned that those cooler-than-normal temperatures might mean that this sudden first burst of extreme heat is all the more dangerous because people in many areas have not acclimated to it yet.
“This will certainly be the first big heat wave of 2025 for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as a large portion of the Midwest,” Mr. Lamers said.
More than 100 million people are under heat warnings.
The temperatures began heating up across the Central Plains and the Upper Midwest, from Texas through Minnesota, on Friday as a warm air mass moved east. By Saturday, the heat will stretch all the way from Denver to Washington, D.C.
“The heat will remain the dominant weather story through the weekend,” warned the National Weather Service office in Omaha, where the temperature could reach as high as 107 degrees on Saturday.
By Sunday, the most extreme temperatures will spread east toward Lake Michigan, and forecasters in Chicago have warned there will be several days of highs in the 90s or above.
But while temperatures in most of the Eastern United States will be above average on Sunday, there are some outliers on the edge of the weather pattern where thunderstorms may form, potentially keeping the worst of the heat at bay for a while. These thunderstorms are often called ridge riders: They ride around the bubble of warm, moist air, and their rainfall and cloud cover will potentially lower afternoon temperatures in the Northeast, including New York City and some areas along the Gulf Coast.
But by Monday and Tuesday, temperatures in the Northeast are expected to be well above average, too. New York City could climb to 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, which would be the first time Central Park hit triple digits since July 18, 2012.
There will be little relief at night.
Many cities across the Midwest, the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic States and the Northeast have not recorded a single 90-degree day so far this year. And those that have, like the suburbs of New York City, have recorded only one or two.
The number of 90-degree days is likely to double, triple or even quadruple by next week. Temperatures will soar well above 90 degrees and will feel even hotter, especially this weekend into the middle of next week.
Heat is likely to reach dangerous levels over much of the Central and Eastern United States. Forecasters have particular concern for the Ohio Valley, the eastern Great Lakes, parts of the South away from the coast and much of the East Coast, where the heat will be most persistent.
Not only will temperatures be high, but the air will also be thick with humidity. This will make it feel more relentlessly oppressive during the day and muggy overnight.
Numerous records are likely to be broken, and light winds, sunny days and a lack of overnight cooling will significantly increase the danger.
“Things like cooler nights and stronger breezes are a natural way of providing heat relief. When these don’t exist, heat can become very dangerous for anyone who does not limit or break their exposure by seeking out an air-conditioned building or some other form of relief,” Mr. Lamers said.
The persistence of a heat wave for an extended period is another factor that can increase the danger of heat, and this heat wave is likely to last longer in the Eastern United States.
When will it end?
While the weather computer models are in agreement on when the heat wave begins, they disagree on when it will end. But generally, the heat wave is expected to persist through at least the middle of next week.
Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times who forecasts and covers extreme weather.
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