It is hot in much of the United States. Still.
Many parts of the Central Plains and Texas are subject to heat advisories and warnings this weekend and will be well into the week in what is already a historic — and brutally — hot summer, National Weather Service forecasters said.
It may not be as hot as it has been in recent weeks, but heat advisories will be in effect for much of the Central and Southern Plains, including the Oklahoma Panhandle, heading east toward most of Oklahoma and Arkansas, southwestern Missouri. and southeastern Kansas, said Bob Oravec, a chief forecaster with the Weather Service. The extreme heat also causes drought in many of those areas.
There may be a slight cooling in the region on Sunday, but the heat is expected to pick up again on Monday.
Heat warnings are also in effect for Southern California and parts of the Southwest, including Arizona and New Mexico.
Next week, parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas could see their highest summer temperatures yet, with predicted highs of 102 to 110 degrees, and the potential for higher heat indices.
On Monday, parts of eastern Colorado, western Kansas and areas all the way to North Dakota could see temperatures between 100 and 110 degrees, said Stephanie Sipprell, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in the Central Plains.
While it’s common for temperatures in the region to hit 100 degrees in July and August, some cities have already experienced more 100-degree days than average or are reaching their average early in the season.
Tulsa, Oklahoma., which is at the center of multiple heat waves, usually endures 10 days with 100-degree maxima in summer. On Friday, the city experienced its 11th 100-degree day of the season, said Pete Snyder, a forecaster for the Oklahoma Weather Service. Tulsa is predicted to encounter a few more next week, some as high as 108 degrees.
Little Rock, Ark., has had seven days of 100-degree highs and is bracing for the possibility of six more in the coming week. The average number of three-digit days for the city in the summer is eight, according to Justin Condry, an Arkansas Weather Service forecaster. The state also faces drought, which increases the risk of fires and can affect agriculture.
“Farmers are specifically feeling the effects of the heat and drought, which can eventually seep into supermarkets,” said Mr. Condry.
The persistent and unrelenting heat is also becoming a major problem for urban areas that cannot cool easily, Mr Oravec said. “It is more difficult to cool down at night because the buildings still radiate heat after the sun,he added.