As Americans get ready for another summer weekend, the National Weather Service is predicting extreme heat in the West and heavy rain in the East.
The NWS’s Weather Prediction Center issued statements on July 19, covering Saturday, July 20, through Wednesday, July 24. The center forecasted “widespread temperatures in the 90s and 100s followed by little overnight relief with lows in the upper 60s and 70s” across the western states from Tucson, Arizona, and Los Angeles through Spokane, Washington, and up to the Canadian border.
NWS notes this temperature range is “a 20–30 degree departure from normal” and warns that record temperatures could be tied or broken.
Excessive heat warnings were already in effect on July 19 and set to last into the following week for much of the western states.
The Colorado River Valley is bracing for 116 degrees Fahrenheit, with 110-115 degrees expected for the Las Vegas Valley. Death Valley National Park could see temperatures as high as 120 degrees, and portions of Oregon and Washington are expected to experience temperatures of 100-110 degrees. Boise, Idaho, could see 105-110-degree temperatures, with the hottest set for the afternoon of July 21.
Multi-day heat advisories for near-100-degree temperatures have also been issued for parts of California, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Heat advisories have also been declared for southern Florida, from Lake Okeechobee to Key West.
However, outdoor activities in states back East could find themselves rained out in the coming days.
More than three to four inches of rain are expected for parts of Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, and the Florida Panhandle. A flood advisory has been issued for several counties in central North Carolina.
The NWS expected the rain to bring slightly cooler temperatures after Washington and several other cities recorded record-high temperatures, with multiple consecutive days topping 100 degrees.
