Heat Dome Will Deliver Sizzling Temperatures Ahead of Independence Day for Millions

A multi-day heat wave is on the radar for millions of Americans in the central and eastern portions of the country. The temperatures are forecast to skyrocket like a firework just in time for the Independence Day holiday. Here is an early look at when and where you can expect the heat to settle.

First Week of July Shaping Up to be a Scorcher for Millions

A massive heat dome is forecast to set up across the Midwest in the days leading up to the holiday weekend. Mother Nature could produce her own fireworks when thunderstorms fire up along the rim of this zone of unseasonable temperatures.

Widespread readings in the 90s will envelop much of the central and eastern U.S. The intense sunshine indicative of early July will boost the real feel readings, making it feel like 100 degrees during the peak afternoon heating hours. Heat of this magnitude will increase the threat of heat exhaustion and heatstroke when people naturally flock to outdoor activities to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.

The forecast models signal that the heat will get its start in the Plains before expanding into the Midwest. Some of the heat will creep into the East at times.

In addition to the powerful sunshine, the hefty humidity levels will also amplify the overall air temperatures. This is particularly true for areas that have seen immense rainfall in recent days. More moisture in the ground inherently raises humidity levels, elevating the real feel readings further.

On the flip side, the moisture-rich ground may keep temperatures in check in the short term. However, once the rain lets up and the ground dries up, the mercury will find the ingredients that it needs to surge.

At this point in the early forecast, meteorologists believe that the core of the heat dome will tether itself to the Ohio Valley, the mid-Mississippi Valley, and the Tennessee Valley throughout the bulk of next week. Some of this heat will escape these regions and nose into the Plains, the Great Lakes, the East Coast, and the Gulf Coast states.

Several consecutive days in the 90s are likely for a long swath of Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic. Early indications suggest that the heat and the humidity will begin to build on Monday and Tuesday.

Thunderstorms to Pop Off on Northern Rim of Heat Dome

The center of the heat dome is likely to remain dry throughout the week. Conversely, repeated rounds of thunderstorms are on deck along the northern rim of the dome. This will put areas of the Plains states, the Upper Midwest, and the Northeast in the line of fire.

Forecasters are also warning that conditions will be ripe for large complexes of thunderstorms to come to life and travel long distances along the northern flank of the heat dome. Known in meteorological terms as a derecho, these wind-packed storms are most likely this weekend and into the early part of next week.

In advance of the building heat, thunderstorm activity packing high winds and heavy rain is possible beginning late this weekend in a zone from the Dakotas to the east into the northern Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. Cities expected to experience the unsettled weather include Omaha, Des Moines, Bismarck, Minneapolis, and Duluth. The damaging winds and precipitation associated with these storms could lead to crop damage in some parts of the Upper Midwest.

A shift in the jet stream flow will send the threat of thunderstorms into the Northeast next week. This movement, coupled with a strong frontal boundary, may translate to brief periods of heavy rain and windy conditions late next week in the Great Lakes and into the Northeast as Americans hit the road for the long weekend.

Looking south of the core of the heat, storm cells are forecast to move east to west in an area from Florida into Texas. The presence of wind shear will likely put a lid on any tropical development if the storms make it into the Gulf; however, rain showers and storms could put a damper on the holiday festivities for much of the southern Plains, the Southeast, and across Florida.

The long-range forecast suggests that the heat dome will begin to break apart after the holiday. However, temperatures will remain a few degrees above the historical average for the second week of July across most of the Plains and the Midwest. While you cannot rule out pockets of storms igniting, it is not shaping up to be a time of widespread severe weather.

Meteorologists are also predicting that the worst of the heat may shift to the west and into the Rockies and the Intermountain West by the middle of the month. This is bad news for the interior West, a part of the country dealing with increasing drought conditions heading into the start of wildfire season. This will be a development to watch closely in the weeks ahead. Stay with us for all of the latest information.

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