East Coast Faces Early Heat Wave, Intensifying Drought Conditions
An early season heat wave is set to impact parts of the East Coast, with temperatures rising to levels more typical of June or July. This week, temperatures are expected to exceed June averages for approximately 160 million people, with high temperature records potentially being neared, tied, or broken at around 600 locations from the Plains to the Northeast. The heat wave will bring temperatures into the 90s across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, while the Midwest to New England will experience 80-degree heat. This weather pattern is exacerbating an already severe drought in the South and parts of the East, where little rain is forecast over the next two weeks. The heat wave follows the warmest March on record across the United States, a phenomenon attributed to climate change.