Almost 72 million people across the country were under warnings of extreme heat Monday morning, the National Weather Service said.
With Thursday’s seasonal solstice taking place amid a weeklong heatwave expected for the East Coast and Midwest, the summer of 2024 is coming in hot.
Extreme heat warnings were in place for Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City and Albany, New York.
Models show the heat could last through Friday and beyond.
“The duration of this heat wave is notable and potentially the longest experienced in decades for some locations,” the federal Weather Prediction Center said.
A high pressure system called an upper-level ridge that is over the Ohio Valley is expanding over the Midwest and East Coast and will produce clear skies, warm, stable air and record-breaking temperatures in the 90s and beyond, forecasters say.
