Heat Wave Could Bring Record Highs to Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago and More
More than 100 million Americans woke up to heat advisories
Record-breaking temperatures from the high 90s to the triple digits are expected Monday from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes as a heat wave blankets much of the country.
More than 100 million Americans woke up to heat advisories as the scorching temperatures that baked the Southwest over the weekend shifted eastward into the central U.S. Record highs are likely in cities including Chicago and Dallas.
The heat wave is expected to stick around for the rest of the week, according to Bob Oravec, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service. The core of the weather pattern will shift back to the Southwest and Midwest by Friday, he said. New England and most of the coastal Northeast are unlikely to see much of an impact.
Dallas is forecast to hit 101 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. That would tie the record high set on June 13, 2011, Mr. Oravec said. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state’s power grid, said it had a record surge in demand on Sunday, breaking a prior peak set in 2019. The agency said it expects similar surges throughout the week.
St. Louis, meanwhile, is on track to top 101 degrees, which would break the record set in 1952 by three degrees.
“There’s heat advisories stretching pretty much from the Gulf Coast all the way up to the parts of the Great Lakes,” said Mr. Oravec.
Roughly 46 cities set record highs over the weekend in Southern California, the Southwest and into Colorado, Mr. Oravec said. Some were in triple digits while others, depending on their elevation, stayed in the 90s.
Rising energy prices will mean much higher air-conditioning bills for consumers as the heat wave moves into the densely populated Ohio Valley and along the Mississippi River. Electricity prices rose 12% in the past year, according to May’s consumer-price index, and have shown no signs of slowing.
The hot, dry conditions in the southwest and parts of California have exacerbated tinderbox conditions for forest fires. Much of the region has been experiencing an extended and severe drought.
Firefighters in New Mexico have since April been battling two blazes that merged into the largest wildfire in state history.