45 million Americans are experiencing extreme heat
Forty-five million people are reportedly facing extreme heat temperature threats across several states within the U.S.
The New York Times reported that the states experiencing the most extreme temperatures this week are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida.
The extreme weather has been described as a “heat dome,” which is “when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area,” according to USA Today.
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Context: PBS reported that Texas is heading into “its third week of a record-breaking heat wave where the heat index could top 120 degrees.”
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center reported that a massive heatwave has been expanding “from Texas through the mid-lower Mississippi Valley before pivoting to Southeast into this weekend.”
The report continued, “Excessive rainfall threat for the central Plains, Midwest and Northeast late week into the holiday weekend.”
ABC News reported that the extreme heat warnings come as many Americans are still at risk for “damaging winds and tornadoes” that are centered around parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.
States that are predicted to be experiencing the extreme heat next week are Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, according to The New York Times.
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What are people saying? Forecasters wrote that “temperature records are in danger of being broken during this significant heat wave.”
Jeff Berardelli, the chief meteorologist for WFLA-TV, said that “things have been stuck for weeks and weeks. And this heat dome has been stuck across especially Mexico. And also, Texas has been on its northern end. And because of that, we’re seeing what is an extreme heat wave, one of the worst heat waves ever in Mexico, and a very bad one also in the southern part of Texas, especially.”
