by The U.S. is bracing for a wave of extreme weather this week, with millions under threat from a dangerous mix of record-breaking heat, flash flooding, severe storms, and fire risks, according to forecasters.
A powerful heat dome is gripping the South Central states, pushing temperatures past 100°F in cities like Dallas, Wichita Falls, and Kansas City. Heat warnings are active across Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, with heat index values potentially soaring up to 115°F.
Heat advisories also extend across South Dakota, Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas. By midweek, the hot conditions are forecast to push eastward, impacting New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., before a cold front brings relief to the Northeast by the weekend.
Meanwhile, flood watches are active in parts of Oregon, New Mexico, Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, with life-threatening flash floods possible in areas from Iowa to Virginia. Up to eight inches of rain could fall in South- Eastern Iowa and parts of the Virginias, with more rain expected across the Southeast by week’s end.
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has also flagged the threat of severe storms, including large hail, damaging winds, and possible tornadoes, across states like Montana, the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana. The storm risk shifts toward Minnesota and Wisconsin on Tuesday and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Wednesday.
Adding to the crisis, red flag warnings are in effect for Nevada and Wyoming due to gusty winds and low humidity, increasing wildfire danger.
Officials urge the public to remain alert, follow local advisories, and check the National Weather Service for updates as conditions rapidly evolve.
