National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Dangerous Heat Continues; Monitoring Excessive Rainfall and Flash Flooding

The heat continues along and east of the Mississippi River. The most significant cumulative heat impacts are expected across the Mid-Atlantic through today and eastern Ohio Valley through Friday. Severe weather and heavy rainfall potential from the Southwest, Plains, upper Midwest, Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and Northeast the next couple of days. A disturbance near the Marianas may bring flooding. 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.

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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. 
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