Latest heat dome to linger in south-central, southeastern US in mid-September
Over a dozen states from the Plains to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts will experience a late-summer heat wave during the middle of September.
What kind of fall can you expect this year? AccuWeather’s long-range experts say a strengthening El Niño is likely to reshape the season, bringing weather patterns that look very different than normal.
The spring and summer seasons have seen heat domes come and go, building and breaking down across the United States. In the week ahead, the next round of hot air will build from its familiar spot over Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Southeast states, extending into parts of the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic for a time.
With the sunlight becoming less intense as the equinox approaches, the heat dome may not lead to the same extreme conditions seen during midsummer heat waves. However, temperatures are still predicted to be 5-10 degrees above the historical average for several days.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be several degrees above actual temperatures from late morning through the afternoon hours.
Widespread highs ranging from the upper 80s to the upper 90s are in store under the heat dome. The hottest conditions are expected over Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas, where some places may reach or exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit on one or more days.
When combined with humidity levels, sunshine and light winds in most areas, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be 5-10 degrees higher than the actual temperature during most of the day.
In contrast, parts of the Northeast will experience their first touch of frost early Tuesday morning ahead of the autumn season.
The heat will build eastward during the middle and latter part of this week, following a couple of comfortable days in terms of temperatures and humidity for the mid-Atlantic region.
Given the extent of the late-season heat dome, the lack of wind within it will lead to poor air quality.
The heat comes after one of the hottest summers (June, July and August combined) on record for several states in the south-central and southeastern regions.
The Lower 48 states averaged 76.9 degrees in July, breaking records dating to 1895 and surpassing the extreme heat of July 1936 during the Dust Bowl.
On the edges of the heat dome, as has been the case for much of the summer, rounds of downpours and severe thunderstorms will roam. For the week ahead, most of these storms will extend from the Dakotas, eastern Montana and western Minnesota to the Midwest and into the Northeast.
A storm could form off the Atlantic coast and travel southwestward across Florida and into the Gulf of America this week. It is possible that the lower pressure produced by this storm could initiate a tropical or subtropical depression or storm.
Another area southeast of Bermuda has a medium chance of developing. Both setups will be closely monitored by AccuWeather meteorologists.
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