Authorities warned people in the Southwest to take action as the heat wave moved east, while downpours and flooding could hit the Gulf of Mexico states and snow threatened parts of the Rockies and the northwest of the country.
Extreme heat spread across Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas, Colorado and Kansas on Sunday. Meanwhile, it was unusually cold for the time of year in the Pacific Northwest, with snow forecast in the northern Rockies and showers between the northern Plains and the northernmost part of the north central part of the country.
The National Weather Service (NWS) estimated that more than 63 million people were under heat advisories on Sundayfrom the southwest and north to Denver and Chicago.
Temperatures in Phoenix, which reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, eased slightly to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. NWS meteorologists say the first two weeks of June in Phoenix have already been an average of 5.6 degrees F (about 14.6 degrees C) warmer than normal, making it the warmest start to June ever. there is a record.
“We’ve already seen some significantly high temperatures in our area,” said Ted Whittock, NWS meteorologist in Phoenix. “We recommend that everyone reduce their time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., stay hydrated, and wear light, loose-fitting clothing.”
The heat in the Phoenix metropolitan area will ease somewhat between Monday and Wednesday, and highs will rise again as the week progresses, likely prompting another excessive heat advisory, Whittock said.
In recent years, the heat has been especially dangerous in metropolitan Phoenix, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023, a record.
The city and Maricopa County have taken additional steps this year in hopes of keeping people safer, such as two new nighttime refreshment centers where people can rest in air conditioning when the sun goes down. There are more than 100 additional refreshment centers open from May 1, where people can get cold water and sit somewhere cool during the day.
In neighboring New Mexico, a heat advisory was issued over the weekend in the Chavez County plains, including Roswell, where highs were expected to reach 107°F (41.6°C) on Monday. Albuquerque reached 99°F (37°C) on Sunday and was expected to ease to 98°F (36°C) on Monday. Sunday’s high was 104°F (40°C) in El Paso, Texas, which opened five refreshment centers.
Temperatures in Colorado ranged from 90°F (32.2°C) in metro Denver on Sunday to 100°F (37.7°C) in the southern city of Pueblo, with forecasts of over 38°C on Monday in the south. of the state.
The heat wave was moving toward the Plains and Great Lakes area on Sunday, and was expected to reach the Northeast by Tuesday. The threat of thunderstorms with the possibility of strong winds and heavy rain grew in the Chicago area, while temperatures around 37.7ºC (100ºF) were expected by mid-week.
As the heat spread eastward, temperatures in Washington DC and the rest of the central Atlantic coast, as well as New England, could hover around 36ºC (98ºF) throughout the week, with high humidity exacerbating the thermal sensation.
The United States last year recorded its highest number of heat waves, unusually hot weather that lasts more than two days, since 1936.
While much of the country was baking, late snowfall was announced in the northern Rockies on Monday and Tuesday. Parts of Montana and northcentral Idaho were under a winter storm watch with up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of heavy, wet rain in the mountains around Missoula, Montana. Up to 20 inches (51 cm) of snow was expected at higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
Meanwhile, a new round of tropical moisture would increase the threat of downpours and flash flooding along the central Gulf Coast on Sunday and Monday. Heavy rain was expected starting Monday morning, and the mass of moisture would move toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.
Severe rain-induced flooding continued to subside in South Florida, where areas in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas were submerged for several days as storms dumped up to 20 inches (50 cm) of water.
That unnamed storm system coincided with the early start of hurricane season, which was forecast to be one of the most active in recent memory.
Source: With information from AP
