Incoming Heat Wave to Impact Midwest and Eastern U.S.

Alexis Thornton

Last week

Temperatures are rising across the Midwest and the eastern U.S., ushering in the first heat wave for the month of July. The heat is forecast to impact the same general area that saw the June heat wave. Here is a look at what you can expect as Mother Nature cranks up the thermostat in this part of the country.

Building Heat Wave Brewing for the Midwest and Eastern U.S.

While temperatures will be fairly moderate across much of the central and eastern U.S. for the Fourth of July holiday, that will all change in the days ahead as the mercury begins an upward trajectory. The heat will build in an area from the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic beginning on Saturday and lingering into next week.

The upcoming heat wave will present with readings that hover in the 90s for a widespread area. Some areas could see the mercury hit the century mark during the peak afternoon heating hours. When combined with the rising humidity levels, real feel temperatures could reach the low 100s.

You can expect the heat to build during the long holiday weekend, lingering into the first week of July. The forecast is calling for the temperatures to reach readings that are 5 to 10 degrees above the historical average for the first half of July.

Meteorologists believe that the incoming heat wave will rival the pattern that spread over the eastern U.S. at the end of June. During this early-season heat wave, temperatures peaked at 105 degrees in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, 103 in Newark, New Jersey, 102 in Boston, 101 in Philadelphia, 100 in Charlotte, and 99 degrees in New York City and at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.

While the June heat wave delivered a number of record-breaking temperatures, the readings for the month as a whole came in at the average level. Most communities saw readings average within 2 degrees of the historical norm over the course of the month. The greatest departure from normal on the higher levels was felt over the Midwest and the northwestern corner of New England.