Back to school hasn’t brought an end to summer heat
In this Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, photo, baked earth is shown along the receding edge of the Great Salt Lake near Antelope Island, Utah. The lake's size fluctuates naturally, with seasonal and long-term weather patterns. The Southwest U.S. has been experiencing record heat without much relief from seasonal rains that usually bring relief. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
An already above-normal summer for heat in parts of the United States is expected to get worse for much of the southern U.S., with record-challenging heat occurring through the rest of the week, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Despite what’s ahead, several cities have already experienced elevated estimated costs for cooling from May 1 through September 8 compared to normal cooling costs, according to an AccuWeather analysis.
Boston (30.3% higher), Norfolk, Virginia (28.4%), Atlanta (27.6%) and Salt Lake City (25.5%) have experienced substantially higher estimated cooling costs compared to normal.
In Norfolk, the average temperature during that span of 78.2 degrees F is an average of 3.3 degrees above normal. In Atlanta, it has been an average of 79.9, which is 3.2 degrees above normal, and Salt Lake City has experienced 10 100-degree days, compared to just two in 2018.
Other cities with elevated estimated cooling costs include Washington, D.C. (23.1%), Gainesville (19.5%), Philadelphia (18.2%), and New Orleans (17.1%).
AccuWeather forecasts it to be mainly dry and very warm to hot in the southeastern U.S. through the lower Mississippi Valley to the southern Plains much of this week. It should continue to be hot and humid from the lower Mississippi Valley to the southern Plains much of next week.
Oklahoma City continues to be an outlier in the other temperature direction. Its estimated cooling costs are 10.2% lower than normal. For the last 30 years, the city has averaged 73 days of the daily high temperature reaching at least 90 degrees; this year, there have been just 57 days with a high of at least 90 so far.
And in St. Louis, there has yet to be a 100-degree day; the high temperature twice reached 97 degrees. This would be the first year since 2009 without a 100-degree day and just the fourth time in 20 years. There were seven in 2017 and 21 in 2012.
The cooling season, which typically begins May 1, can last until late in the year in many U.S. cities. The costs of cooling, including electricity, vary from year to year and from place to place, so the percentage change in your bill may vary from these percentages.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the forecast for your location. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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