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Dangerous Heat in the East; Critical Fire Weather in the Southwest

Dangerous, record-breaking heat will intensify across most of the central and eastern U.S this week. Heat indices will likely exceed 100 degrees. Heat is likely to continue across the eastern U.S. through the Independence Day holiday weekend. Critical fire weather conditions will continue today and likely Tuesday across portions of the Four Corners and northern High Plains. Read More >

Overview

Hurricane Beryl, which was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, struck the Windward Islands and moved across the Caribbean Sea before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. After weakening as it emerged in the Gulf of America, it restrengthened into a Category 1 hurricane before another landfall on the Texas coast southwest of Houston on Monday, July 8th.

Its remnants tracked northeast and reached western Indiana by the evening on Tuesday, July 9th. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches occurred across portions of central and eastern Illinois, with the highest amounts in an area from around Mattoon northeast to Danville. Some flooding of farm fields and roads occurred as a result, especially near the I-57 corridor. As the system pulled further away from our area, some wind gusts of 25-40 mph occurred, with one gust of 54 mph in west central Indiana near Lafayette.

While not common, tropical remnants have been known to track across Illinois. Click here to view a history of how they have impacted our area. 

Approximate track of Hurricane Beryl. Image from Google Earth.
Approximate track of Beryl, from its formation off the Africa coast to its post-tropical phase over the Midwest. Image from Google Earth.
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