The forecast calls for a weekend of wild weather across much of the United States, with dangerous heatwaves spreading across the West and South, severe storms across the Central Plains, and poor air quality continuing to plague states in the Midwest, Northeast and US. Mid-Atlantic region.
In an update on Friday, the National Weather Service said heat is increasing along the West Coast and is expected to bring hot, dry conditions to much of California this weekend. She added that parts of central and northern California could approach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, and the Southwest could see temperatures rise well above that level.
In addition to increasing the risk of heat-related illness and death, hot and dry conditions in the West are raising concerns about wildfires.
The heat is expected to continue across the central plains and the south, which has been experiencing high temperatures for several days.
“Hotter temperatures are expected to reach triple digits in the northernmost locations in Missouri today while more oppressive humidity will persist south near the Gulf Coast,” the weather service said Friday.
Texas, which has been experiencing an intense early-season heatwave for the past three weeks, is expected to cool slightly with temperatures reaching triple digits. Health officials said the scorching conditions caused at least 13 deaths in the state.
The deadly heat wave was fueled by a dome of high pressure that remained stagnant over Texas and Mexico, causing high heat and humidity during the day with little relief overnight. The Mexican Ministry of Health said on Thursday that at least 100 people had died over the past two weeks due to this extreme heat event, Reuters reported.
Studies have shown that climate change increases the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves.
As the persistent heat dome expands deeper into the South, heat and high humidity are expected to blanket parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama through the weekend.
In Memphis, officials are still grappling with the effects of last weekend's storms that left more than 120,000 residents in the county without power.
About 8,000 people remain without power, said Charles Newell, deputy director of the Shelby County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, adding that his administration's top priority is making sure residents are able to stay cool during the heat wave.
The city's heat index values, which represent the conditions the human body feels when combining humidity and air temperatures, are expected to reach triple digits over the next few days.
“We encourage everyone who does not have electricity or does not have air conditioning to go to the cooling centers,” Newell said. “We have a number of strategically located cooling centres, we are distributing water and asking people to stay out of the sun as much as possible.”
Severe storms are expected in large areas of the country on Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center said hail and damaging winds could develop at times across the central Plains, extending from the Middle Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley.
The storms have already disrupted air travel this week as Americans head to the Fourth of July holiday. Thousands of flights have been disrupted or canceled since Wednesday, adding pressure to a busy travel weekend.
Meanwhile, parts of the country continue to suffer from poor air quality, as smoke from Canada's wildfires continues to drift over the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
However, officials with the weather service said air quality is expected to slowly improve “due to a combination of thunderstorm activity and spreading smoke as we head into the weekend.”
