Pacific Northwest to be hit by another heat wave with temperatures over 90 degrees

The heat gripped nearly all of the contiguous United States on Wednesday, with parts of 34 states on some sort of heat advisory, watch or warning.

Temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are forecast to rise 10 to 20 degrees above average, leading to highs in the 90s to 100 for coastal and inland cities. Seattle, Portland, Ore., And Spokane, Wash. Were all on heat alert, with the high heat set to last until Friday.

This is the sixth heat wave for the region which has just experienced its hottest combination of June and July on record, and that relentless heat continues to fuel forest fires. More than 100 large forest fires burn in more than a dozen states, with California’s Dixie Fire being the largest in the country with more than half a million acres

California, in particular, is already approaching a million burnt acres this year. It was in the wake of 2020 that set the state’s new record at 4.3 million acres.

For the center of the country, from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, high heat combined with high humidity will lead to heat index values ​​of 105 to 115 degrees. Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Tennessee and Houston could all experience dangerous heat over the next few days.

This heat and humidity across the Midwest and Great Lakes will fuel the risk of severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening capable of producing destructive winds of over 60 mph, large hail and isolated tornadoes. For Chicago, this is the third consecutive day of bad weather.

And for the mid-Atlantic, northeast, and New England, the rest of the week will be faced with sweltering heat where unusually high humidity will make temperatures in the 90s as hot as 100-110. This includes Washington, DC, New York, and Boston.

For New York City, where the heat index is expected to hit 100 degrees on Thursday, the excessive heat warning issued is rare for August. The last time it was released in August was five years ago, in 2016. They usually perform in June and July.

For the nation’s capital, the heat index forecast for Thursday is 109 degrees. This heat could be fatal for anyone without access to air conditioning. And in Philadelphia on Thursday, the temperature will be 106 degrees.

Philadelphia, like most American cities, is getting significantly warmer due to climate change. Summers have warmed in Philadelphia by 3 degrees since 1970, and there are now five more days a year hitting 95 degrees or more compared to 50 years ago.

And it’s not only summer days that get hotter, but summer nights too. Summer nights are warming at an even faster rate than daytime temperatures, which is linked to higher cases of heat-related illnesses.