A ‘mega heat dome’ is set to engulf parts of the US leading up to the Fourth of July, sending temperatures soaring over 100°F.
While this weather pattern, which acts like a lid and keeps hot air from escaping, is forecast to be positioned over the central and eastern US, a meteorologist has identified the state expected to bear the brunt of the scorching conditions.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue warned that North Carolina will be ‘ground zero’ for the scorching conditions.
‘North Carolina will be ground zero for the upcoming “mega heat dome” over the Eastern US into the July 4th weekend,’ Maue wrote on X.
‘Raleigh to 107°F will melt your face off, 271 million Americans at least 90°F on Friday, July 3rd.’ However, the temperature could feel at least 115°F with the humidity.
Before the massive heat dome takes hold over the eastern US, two smaller domes are expected to develop next week – one over the Southwest and another over the subtropical Atlantic.
AccuWeather meteorologists said that the heat is expected late June into early July from the southern Plains to the East Coast with widespread highs in the 90s, but it will feel like up to 105°F with the humidity.
AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in a statement: ‘A multiday heat wave is brewing across the middle of the nation ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, expanding from the Plains to the Midwest and even nosing into the East.’
Meteorologist Ryan Maue warned that North Carolina will be ‘ground zero’ for the scorching conditions.
A ‘heat dome’ is a meteorological term for a massive, stagnant ridge of high pressure that traps hot air over a specific region, functioning like an atmospheric lid.
It forces hot air downward, baking the ground under abundant sunshine and preventing clouds from forming, resulting in persistently high and dangerously high temperatures.
The build-up to the potentially dangerous heat wave will begin this weekend as a strengthening heat dome settles over the central US.
AccuWeather said that the impending heat wave is expected to bring the most widespread 90-degree temperatures seen so far this year across parts of the Central and Eastern US.
Chicago could endure at least five consecutive days with highs of 90°F or above next week, while St. Louis is on track for as many as eight straight days of blistering 90-degree heat.
From June 27 to 29, temperatures are expected to surge across the Plains, Midwest and parts of the South, with widespread highs in the 90s and some areas flirting with the triple digits.
The scorching conditions are forecast to intensify early next week as the heat dome expands eastward.
By June 30 and July 1, the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley are expected to bake under rising temperatures, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue a High Risk warning for extreme heat in parts of the Mid-Atlantic through July 2.
Before the massive heat dome takes hold over the eastern US, two smaller domes are expected to develop next week – one over the Southwest and another over the subtropical Atlantic
The most dangerous period is expected to arrive between July 2 and July 4, when the heat dome reaches its peak strength.
The Southeast and Carolinas are likely to bear the brunt of the sweltering temperatures, with some forecast models showing highs topping 100°F in places such as Raleigh, North Carolina.
By Independence Day, the brutal heat is expected to remain firmly entrenched across much of the central and eastern US.
Temperatures in the 90s and low 100s are forecast from the Plains and Midwest through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Combined with oppressive humidity, it could feel as hot as 105°F to 110°F or higher in many locations.
