Dangerous Heat Dome Stretches from Texas to Dakotas with Triple-Digit Highs

Get ready to crank up the air conditioning if you live in the Plains region. A massive heat dome is forming over much of this part of the nation this weekend, sending the mercury over the century mark. Here is a look at where the core of the heat will set up in the coming days.

Where to Expect Triple-Digit Readings This Weekend

Yet another heat dome is going to expand northward from the Southwest into the Plains states this weekend and into the early part of next week. It has already been a toasty week for Texas and the interior portions of the Southwest. The Dallas metroplex hit a high of 106 on Tuesday and Wednesday, with little relief in sight. Despite the arrival of clouds and moisture moving up into central Texas as Tropical Storm Bertha pushes inland, temperatures are forecast to remain in the triple digits.

The most dangerous heat will be centered on the Desert Southwest. Phoenix could see highs approach 120 degrees on Saturday.

Enjoy the moderate weather while you can in places such as Kansas City. After topping out with highs in the upper 70s on Thursday and Friday, the metro area that straddles the border of Kansas and Missouri will jump into the 90s over the weekend. Temperatures could reach the 100-degree threshold on Monday in this part of the central Plains.

Moving farther to the north, highs are expected to hover in the upper 90s and near 100 degrees across a large swath of the Dakotas over the weekend and into Monday. Minneapolis could also get a taste of the triple digits on Monday. Chicago will return to the mid 90s by the early part of the work week.

The air temperatures are not the only thing on the rise. Humidity levels are also forecast to surge, sending real feel readings to between 105 and 110 degrees throughout most of the Plains and the Mississippi Valley this weekend.

A few thunderstorms may sneak into the Plains and Midwest in the coming days. However, this is not forecast to be a widespread rain event.

Looking ahead, a mass of cooler air originating in the Northeast and the Great Lakes will track farther west beginning the middle of next week. This development will bring much-needed relief from the heat to the Plains states.