The Heat Is Likely to Get Worse Next Week

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It’s back.

A second round of sweatier-than-normal summer heat is forecast to return to the Southern United States starting Saturday and continuing into next week.

A heat dome of high pressure will once again park over New Mexico and West Texas. Although it probably won’t be as bad as late June, areas from California to Texas that typically see temperatures above 100 this time of year could see heat even worse than that, possibly setting daily records. Gulf Coast states will most likely experience above-average temperatures combined with high humidity, creating dangerous conditions. Overnight “low” temperatures could break records for their warmth.

Oh, and a separate system could bring above-average extreme heat to southern Florida, too.

A Chart That Conveys the Forecast: Spot the trend.

It’ll be brutal in Phoenix, according to forecasters. Look up your city or town.

When Will It End?

Not soon. The heat wave across the South, from Florida to California, is expected to last at least two more weeks. That’s not a prediction for an eventual respite; it’s just that forecasts are fuzzy more than 14 days out. So the heat could continue.

One Scary Statistic: Earth’s hottest week on record.

The average global temperature suddenly surged this week, climbing to 62.6 degrees Tuesday, making it the hottest day Earth has experienced since at least 1940.

Greg Carbin, the chief of forecast operations at the Weather Prediction Center, said Friday: “I’ve been watching the global temperature trends like everyone else in our business. This is definitely a concern.”