Heat Wave to Hit the Midwest and Southern United States Next Week, Reaching 100 Degrees Fahrenheit

Heat wave will engulf the Midwest and the Southern United States next week as temperatures could reach up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, according to the latest US weather forecast.

Cities such as St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; and Raleigh, North Carolina are one of the areas at most risk from scorching temperatures.

US meteorologists place emphasis on warm overnight temperatures to be one of the main factors for health complications and even death.

The inability of the body to cooldown at night has been proven to be a direct risk of most heat-related deaths.

This has been the case in the recent deaths of around 10,000 cattle in Kansas last week.

Prior to the incident, a California man was reportedly found dead at the Death Valley National Park amid an extreme heat wave. Local authorities confirm the man walked under the Sun when he ran out of gas.

As of Saturday, June 18, heat alerts have been placed for over 25 million Americans in more than 12 states, spanning from the northern Great Plains toward the Southeast US.

This week's heat wave has been forecasted to move toward South US in the coming days.

Warm Overnight Temperatures

Nighttime high temperatures are also risky compared to daytime high temperatures.

Heat-related health hazards such as stroke, exhaustion, cramps, and dehydration are some of the main causes of death during a heat wave.

The persistent heat dome even continues during the evening hours.

With this, warm overnight temperatures prevent the body to cool off, which our bodies expect while we are sleeping, according to Jenn Varian, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS), as cited by CNN.

Varian adds this continued warm temperatures in itself could cause the complications and even puts the body at a disadvantage during daytime heat.

Extreme Heat Forecast

CNN Weather has forecasted Chicago's temperature could elevate to 95 degrees by Monday, June 20.

Meanwhile, St. Louis could expect to see a temperature spike of up to 100 degrees by Tuesday, June 21.

The US media agency also predicted temperatures of up to 100 degrees is possible for Raleigh by Wednesday, June 22.

Other cities and towns across the Midwest and South US are likely to experience similar hot weather conditions.

The NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on Saturday issued a forecast that a "dangerous heat" will continue to push through the Deep South from Monday.

2021 US Heat Wave

In 2021, a Pacific Northwest heat wave during the US summer season killed over 500 people in the states of Washington and Oregon, as well as in the province of British Columbia in Canada, according to the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).

The catastrophic event has been considered to be one of the worst natural disasters in North America in modern history.

Last year's disaster was also a manifestation of the growing link between human fatalities and extreme heat, as most cases in the past have been reported to be overlooked.

In recent months, various heat advisories and alerts in the US were issued for the potential above-average temperatures this summer 2022.