US weather: Northeast to see first heatwave of year as mercury surges to over 90F
The southwest has been particularly hard hit by the sweltering heat
Accuweather
A deadly heat dome will be dragged across America by a ‘bulge’ in the jet stream as swaths of the nation brace for the ‘first heatwave of summer’.
Northern states, which have so far dodged the 100F blaze baking the south, are about to feel a lick of the flame.
A plume of hot air from the Gulf of Mexico has over the past week sent the mercury rocketing across Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and surrounding regions.
New England, New York, Virginia and surrounding areas are gearing up for the mercury to head into the 90Fs.
Unsettled weather is set to continue into mid-month, with growing heat fuelling giant thunderstorms
The Weather Channel
AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said: “Get ready, this will likely be the first heat wave of the season for cities like Philadelphia and Washington DC.
“Millions of people in the northeast and mid-Atlantic are expected to experience the first round of 90-degree days this season starting on Monday.
“The heat dome will continue to bake parts of the Southwest and interior Northwest this week.”
Temperatures across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona have this month already nudged 110F.
Further north, residual Arctic air has kept thermometers lower with mountain snow still falling in parts.
Where the two air masses meet, volatile atmospheric conditions have driven a barrage of storms.
Unsettled weather is set to continue into mid-month, with growing heat fuelling giant thunderstorms.
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Florida will also be hit with additional rain
The Weather Channel
The threat of heavy rain will ‘shift into a higher gear’ later this week with Florida on alert for flooding.
Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said: “Heavy rain has already triggered flooding in Florida this week, and there are more rounds of heavy downpours expected through the start of the weekend.
“In central and southern parts of the state, this rainfall could trigger flash flooding, but the chance of a more serious tropical depression or storm forming is low.
“This threat of heavy rain is a combination of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico and a high-pressure system, the Bermuda High, that shifted east pulling in moisture from the Caribbean Sea.”
Hot weather with dry winds have raised warnings for wildfires and ‘heat-related illnesses’.
The National Weather Service (NOAA) has issued ‘excessive heat’ warnings across Arizona, Nevada and California, and separate heat advisories in Utah, New Mexico and Texas.
A spokesman said: “A subtropical high will form over North-Central Mexico, leading to Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories over Northern and Central California and Southwest, and Excessive Heat Watches in western Texas.
“It is crucial for residents and individuals involved in outdoor activities to stay informed and take immediate and necessary precautions.”
A huge region of high pressure – ‘heat dome’ – has been the part driver for extreme heat this spring.
This will move northwards through the coming days as the jet stream buckles over north-eastern America.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said: “From Monday through much of next week, home-grown high pressure will build over the region while the jet stream bulges northward.
“This one-two combination will set the stage for building heat and an uptick in humidity levels. For many, this will be the first heat wave of the year.”
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and US correspondent, added: “We can expect this dome of heat to move and bring further heat through the week.
“With this, though, there will be an ongoing risk of severe storms.”
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