National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West; Excessive Rainfall Possible in the South-Central U.S.

Heat will build over the Intermountain West and the Southwest the next couple of days. Lightning from dry thunderstorms can create new fire starts and combined with gusty winds may cause a fire to rapidly grow in Oregon and northern California. Flash flooding will be possible in New Mexico and west Texas today, as well as parts of the southern and central Plains due to slow moving thunderstorms. Read More >

Overview

A very large and strong upper level ridge of high pressure over the central United States brought several days of record temperatures during the 4th week of August.  Temperatures in the upper 90s to low 100s were observed each day across eastern IA, northwest IL, and northeast MO.  These readings combined with dewpoints in the 70s and even low 80s resulted in heat indices over 100 degrees for several hours each day. 

Several cooling centers were opened during the week and many schools adjusted their schedules and extra-curricular activities to keep kids safe in the heat.  Some heat-related illnesses were also reported during the week.

Image
Map showing all of the National Weather Service Watches, Warnings, and Advisories that were in effect the afternoon of Wednesday, August 23rd. The magenta color across much of the central part of the country shows where the Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect on this date. 
nws logo Media use of NWS Web News Stories is encouraged!
Please acknowledge the NWS as the source of any news information accessed from this site.
nws logo