Another early heat wave hits this week, this time in the Northeast
Record heat is expected to settle into states from the Plains to the Northeast this week, causing temperatures to rise to unseasonably highs.
The first heat wave comes less than a month after extreme heat smothered much of the western United States. It now seems that it is the turn of the east of the country.
About 135 million people in the central and eastern United States will likely experience temperatures at least 15 degrees above average on Tuesday. Temperatures well above 80 degrees Fahrenheit will be common in parts of Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Washington, DC.
By Wednesday and Thursday, summer heat is expected to intensify and spread, reaching the 90s in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists say more than 100 record temperatures could be broken this week, including some all-time records from April.
In St. Louis, for example, the high could reach 90 on Tuesday. In Memphis, Tennessee, the high is expected to reach 87 on Tuesday, while Richmond, Virginia, could reach 91 before climbing to 94 by midweek.
The Northeast will also experience temperatures more common in summer than in April. Philadelphia is expected to reach 87 on Tuesday before the heat intensifies to a high of 91 later in the week. New York City could reach 85 on Tuesday, 86 on Wednesday and 87 on Thursday. And in Washington, D.C., highs are expected to reach 89 on Tuesday and 92 on Wednesday and Thursday.
This week’s heat wave is caused by a broad ridge of high pressure that traps warm air over much of the eastern half of the country, much like a lid traps heat in a saucepan.
Last month, more than 150 daily temperature records and about 50 monthly all-time records were broken in California and the desert southwest, as temperatures 20 to 40 degrees above average for this time of year persisted for more than a week.
Several cities in California and Arizona reached triple digits.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that it was the hottest March on record in the United States. The average temperature for the month was 50.85, 9.35 degrees above the 20th century average for March. The results were based on 132 years of federal weather records.
Although it can be difficult to determine the exact influence of climate change on specific weather events, it is known that global warming makes heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting.
Extreme heat is always dangerous – it is known to cause more deaths each year in the United States than any other weather event, including hurricanes, floods and tornadoes – but intense heat that occurs earlier in the year than usual is especially risky because people’s bodies have not yet gotten used to it.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
