Northeast could be walloped by season’s first heat wave as sweltering temperatures loom
Scorching temperatures will suffocate the Northeast next week and some Americans may sweat through the region’s first heat wave of the season.
“Summer is definitely coming in full force next week for the Eastern region,” Fox Weather Meteorologist Stephanie van Oppen told The Post.
After a gorgeous weekend, the mercury will rise to what “could be classified as a heat wave” by the middle of next week with temperatures topping 90 degrees — and even possibly hitting triple digits — from the Midwest to the Atlantic and Northeast.
“We’re kind of going to see two waves, especially for the 1-95 corridor,” van Oppen said. “We’ll see if it get pretty hot tomorrow, then it will cool down for the weekend and then it will build back up in the middle of next week.”
During that sweltering stretch millions of Americans will experience their hottest day of 2024.
The Great Lakes region will be hit especially hard, but the whole Eastern US will be impacted.
Some of the hottest temperatures have been forecast in Detroit, which could hit 97, and Pittsburgh could top 100 degrees.
New York City, starting on Monday, will climb into the 80s after a cooler weekend but by Tuesday to Thursday will peak in the low 90s.
The heat will feel even more oppressive due to the humidity, with dew points between 60 and 70 degrees.
“Those are the kind of dew points that go from sticky, to make you feel like you’re in a swimming pool — so it’s definitely going to be a hot uncomfortable heat,” Von Oppen said.
While there are no active heat alerts out right now, van Oppen said she would “not be surprised” if the National Weather Service begins issuing alerts for the eastern US this weekend.
After weeks of cooler, wet weather on the East Coast coming down from the Great Lakes, there has been a pattern shift with a high pressure system in the Atlantic bringing warm humid air up from the Gulf of Mexico to the Eastern Region, van Oppen said.
“It’ll feel like tropical weather because that’s where the air is being pulled from,” she said.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the upcoming heat and working with local officials to ensure cooling centers and other resources are available.
The agency is also coordinating with utility companies to “prevent and address” any potential “heat-related issues” for New Yorkers,” a spokesperson told The Post.