After days intense floods in Florida, that state and many others are bracing for an intense heat wave, while the Pacific Northwest will experience unseasonably cold weather and potential for late-season snow in the Rockies early next week.
The chaotic weather map includes the potential for severe storms between the warm and cold fronts. Forecasters said collision fronts could lead to areas of flash flooding between eastern Nebraska and northern Wisconsin Saturday night, as well as severe thunderstorms in parts of eastern Montana and North and South Dakota.
Meanwhile, a plume of tropical moisture will reach the central Gulf Coast over the next few days, with heavy rains expected to begin Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said the threat of heavy rain in Florida continues to dissipate, but some storms could cause local flooding due to the already saturated ground. Some areas between Miami and Fort Lauderdale have been underwater in recent days as persistent storm surges have reached up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) in the southern part of the state.
The harmful unnamed storm system coincided with the start of the hurricane season in early June, which this year is expected to be among the most active in recent memory, amid concerns that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms.
As flood waters receded in Florida, temperatures rose Saturday across much of the southern U.S.
In Atlanta, where temperatures were forecast to near 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday and Sunday, city officials opened a cooling center to alleviate the heat. The city announced that “Family and Friends Field Day” was postponed due to the forecast of high temperatures.
And in the West Texas city of El Paso, Saturday’s highs were expected to approach 105 degrees F (40.6 degrees C) and the National Weather Service issued a heat warning through Monday morning for the region. The city opened five refrigeration centers that will operate daily until further notice.
Temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic and New England will likely peak in the mid-90s next week, which is “nothing to sneeze at even in the middle of summer, much less early summer,” said the weather forecaster at National Weather Service. William Churchill.
“That’s what’s particularly notable,” he said, noting that the high humidity will also make it feel even hotter in many places.
Last year, the US had the biggest heat waves — abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days — since 1936. In the South and Southwest, last year was the worst on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Next week’s heat wave will increase Sunday in the center of the country before spreading east, the National Weather Service said, with some areas likely to see extreme heat and reach daily records. The heat wave could last all week and into the weekend in many places.
While most of the country will experience the season’s first stretch of warm weather, parts of Montana have been placed under a winter storm watch with the potential for wet snow falling Monday night.
Churchill said the northwest cold front is linked to the heat wave because one extreme is often accompanied by the other.
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