Map Shows 11 States Facing Extreme Record Heat

For several days in a row this week, extreme heat warnings and heat advisories have blanketed the U.S. from the Upper Midwest to the South.

The pattern is expected to continue for the rest of the month, with several states expecting record heat as dangerously high temperatures persist across the nation.

Why It Matters

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the U.S. It becomes exceptionally dangerous when temperatures don’t drop overnight, providing little or no relief to the hot weather during the day. During the summer months, humidity also plays a part, making the heat index, or the feels-like temperatures, feel much hotter than the real temperature.

What To Know

On Wednesday, the Central U.S. from Wisconsin to Louisiana was under a heat advisory. In some areas, temperatures and humidity levels were severe enough to prompt extreme heat warnings. Heat advisories also stretched into the Northeast.

The persistent heat, although uncomfortable and even life-threatening at times, does not look as though it will break many high-temperature records in the Mississippi Valley, where most of the heat is, AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek.

“A lot of records in the Mississippi Valley where most of the heat is located are really high, and to get to those records would take a lot,” he said.

However, record-high minimum temperatures could be broken across 11 states.

“Record high [minimums] are when your low temperature at night is at a record high,” DaSilva told Newsweek. “A lot more of those are going to be broken here over the next couple of days.”

Through Thursday, there’s potential for 11 states to break record-high minimum temperatures: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and possibly Alabama, DaSilva said.

At night, temperatures across these regions will remain in the upper 70s or lower 80s. When combined with the humidity, it’s going to be “really nasty,” DaSilva said.

During the day, the heat index, or the feels-like temperatures, could reach as high as 110 to 115 degrees from St. Louis, Missouri, to Central Louisiana.

Hot temperatures at night can be exceptionally dangerous, as many areas where people might go to cool off such as the pool, cooling centers or places like movie theaters and restaurants are closed.

“For people who don’t have AC or people more vulnerable to heat, this can cause issues,” DaSilva said.

What People Are Saying

AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek: “Toward the weekend, everything shifts east, so it kind of expands. Places in the Northeast will join the party on Friday and into the weekend. Today and tomorrow most of heat will be confined to…the Mississippi Valley. On Friday, the heat gets into the Northeast, as well places even into New England and the Carolina coast can break those record high mins.”

National Weather Service (NWS) in a post on Facebook: “It’s the height of summer, so it being hot in the southern U.S. is no surprise. BUT, when triple digits during the day barely drop to 80 overnight, it becomes extremely dangerous. Extreme and record heat is likely throughout the South through next week with extreme impacts possible for those without adequate cooling or hydration.”

What Happens Next

The NWS has issued several messages warning people that the heat could persist through the end of July. People across the states impacted by the heat are encouraged to monitor local weather guidance, stay hydrated and stay out of the sun as the heat persists.