More than 125 million Americans under dangerous heat coast to coast
More than 125 million Americans are on alert for sweltering coast-to-coast temperatures, as heat alerts are in place from Southern California to the intermountain West and northern Plains, upper Midwest and across to the Northeast.
Daily record highs may be broken in Rapid City, Fargo and Grand Forks in the northern Plains on Tuesday.
In the Northeast, record daily highs could be broken at Plattsburgh and Syracuse, New York. Other parts of New England may get within a degree or two of a daily record today.
Those daily record highs would follow several broken on Monday, including in Bismarck, North Dakota, with 105 degrees; International Falls, Minnesota, at 97; and Hibbing, Minnesota, at 93. Rapid City, South Dakota, and Dickinson, North Dakota, tied records with 102 and 103, respectively.
In addition to the heat, shifting winds are expected to blow smoke from more than 800 wildfires burning in Canada down into the upper Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday, creating dangerous air quality for millions of people.
Other extreme heat warnings are in place from Utah to the upper peninsula of Michigan.
In Utah, Salt Lake City is expected to reach near 100 on Tuesday. Fargo is under an extreme heat warnings for a heat index as high as 105.
The heat index for places like Calumet, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota, could reach near 100.
Detroit is under a heat advisory for a heat index near 105.
The rest of the week will remain hot and humid across the upper Midwest with highs in the 90s and heat indices feeling even warmer.
In the Northeast, a heat wave begins on Tuesday, with three or more days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees for New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Those high temperatures could last five days, through Saturday.
In addition to the heat, shifting winds are expected to blow smoke from more than 800 wildfires burning in Canada down into the upper Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday, creating dangerous air quality for millions of people.
A heat advisory is in place for at least Tuesday and Wednesday across much of the Northeast due to expected heat indices around 100. In the upper Northeast, heat index of 100 to 104 are possible from Rochester and Albany, New York, to Boston.
The area between New York City and Washington, D.C., will likely reach its highest temperatures on Wednesday, with heat indices near 100 in New York City and near 105 in D.C.
Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, are under an extreme heat warning for heat indices up to 107 on Wednesday.
Out West, Southern California is under heat alerts through Thursday.
Temps are expected to reach 85 to 90 across the Southern California's coastal valleys and up to 105 for the interior valleys on Tuesday.
A heat advisory stretches to San Jose in Northern California, where temperatures will reach the mid to upper 90s on Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday will be hotter, with temperatures in downtown Los Angeles reaching the middle to upper 90s and interior valleys reaching up to 110.
Next week, temperatures look less extreme across America.
Significant flood threat in Texas
For the next three days, there is a level 3 of 4 flood threat in place in South-Central Texas. That warning came amid a very rare and dangerous setup. Residents in the region should be on alert, especially those near rivers and low water crossings. But even areas that don't normally flood must be alert.
The greatest threat will lie across the Edwards Plateau into Texas Hill Country and along the Rio Grande Valley between the Big Bend and down toward Eagle Pass.
Rainfall rates each day could exceed 2 inches per hour.
On Tuesday through Thursday, storms could produce in rainfall of 3 inches to more than 7 inches over this area.
The three-day total over that region could top 15 inches of rain in some places.
Severe weather threat in northern New England
Fueled by the extreme heat and humidity and a sinking cold front from Canada, severe storms capable of destructive winds of more than 70 mph, hail as large as ping pong balls, and a possible tornado or two will move over northern New England on Tuesday.
A level 3 of 5 risk is in place from northeast New York through northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and northern Maine on Tuesday afternoon and evening. It includes Burlington, Vermont; Plattsburgh, New York; Caribou, Maine; Colchester, Vermont; and Massena, New York.
Storms are most likely to occur after 4 p.m. ET and continue into the night as the cold front sinks south.
