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Extreme heat spread across Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas, Colorado and Kansas as severe weather swept across much of the US on Friday. There is unseasonably cold weather in the Pacific Northwest, snow heading north of the Rocky Mountains and heavy rain forecast from the northern Plains to the Upper Midwest.
The National Weather Service estimated more than 63 million people on Sunday, stretching from the northwest through Denver and into Chicago.
Temperatures in Phoenix, which reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 Celsius) on Saturday, are expected to be close on Sunday. Weather service forecasters say the first two weeks of June in Phoenix have averaged 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, marking the hottest start to June.
“We’ve seen some pretty high temperatures in our area,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We recommend that everyone minimize their time outside between 10am and 6pm, stay hydrated and wear light, loose-fitting clothing.”
Whittock said the heat in metro Phoenix will ease a bit on Wednesday, with highs pushing back as the week progresses, likely prompting another extreme heat warning.
The heat has been particularly dangerous in recent years in metro Phoenix, where 645 people will die from heat-related causes in 2023 – a record.
The city and Maricopa County have implemented additional measures this year in hopes of keeping people safer, including two new overnight cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioning after the sun goes down. There are more than 100 other cooling centers that have opened since May 1 where people can drink cold water and sit in a cool place during the day.
In neighboring New Mexico, a heat advisory was implemented over the weekend for the Chavez County plains including Roswell, where the high is forecast to hit 107 degrees F (41.6 degrees C) on Friday. The high for Albuquerque is forecast to be 99 degrees F (37.2 C) on Sunday, slightly cooler to 96 degrees F (37.6 C) on Monday. Highs are expected to approach 105 F (40.6 C) in El Paso, Texas, where five cooling centers are now open.
Temperatures from the 90s to nearly 100 degrees F (37.7 C) are expected in metro Denver and areas south. Thunderstorms are possible in communities north of Denver.
The heat wave moved west Sunday into the Plains and Great Lakes region and is expected to reach the Northeast by Tuesday. The threat of thunderstorms with the potential for high winds and heavy rain has increased in the Chicago area, although the heat index is forecast to reach near 100 degrees F (37.7 C) by midweek.
As the heat wave spreads east, temperatures in Washington and elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic as well as New England may see highs in the mid to upper 90s as the week continues, with excess humidity making it feel more oppressive. .
Last year the US experienced the most heat wave, including abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days, since 1936.
While much of the country is swelters, the last snow season is forecast for the northern Rockies on Friday and Tuesday. Parts of Montana and north-central Idaho are under a winter weather watch, with as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of heavy, heavy snow expected in the mountains around Missoula, Montana. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) is predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture will bring an increased threat of heavy rain and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast late Sunday into Friday. Heavy rain will begin Monday morning, with moisture moving to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday.
Heavy flooding from heavy rains continued to lash southern Florida, where parts of Miami and Fort Lauderdale were left underwater in days as the storm dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters).
The unnamed storm system coincides with the start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be one of the most active in recent memory.
