Photo: MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND / AFP / Getty Images
Heat and smoke from wildfires swept across the United States on Tuesday, which affected air quality and generated heat alerts from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Smoke from distant forest fires has led to an air quality alert through 5 pm Tuesday. More info at: https://t.co/mb7r6Aj9VV # MEwx pic.twitter.com/pwu51 RsCfT
– NWS Caribou (@NWSCaribou) July 27, 2021
A high pressure ridge has spread over the country, causing a heat wave with high temperatures above average in the central part of the country.
“Around the 75% of the population of the United States will see a maximum above the 90 ° during the next week, and 40 millions of people will suffocate above the 100 ° ”, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen .
Smoke from 800 s of miles away has given Bangor, Maine (red dot in the far east) the same hazardous air quality reading as locations out West sitting just next to the fires pic.twitter.com/SpNK9xFABj
– Brian Kahn (@blkahn) July 27, 2021
Alerts d e heat in the week
More of 40 millions of people in 18 states from Montana to Georgia are under some sort of heat alert on Tuesday.
“There is an excessive heat advisory in parts of the northern high plains, where temperatures will rise to the 100 degrees. Additionally, heat advisories are currently in effect for parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley / South Plains, North / Central Plains, and the North High Plains, ”according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Extreme heat continues to be a top weather story across the country . Excessive heat watches, warnings, as well as heat advisories span from the Northern Plains through the Mississippi Valley (18 states!) early this afternoon. Over 75 million people are feeling the impacts🌡️ pic.twitter.com/ec5HbkyjWb
– NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) July 27, 2021
State-wide record temperatures were reached or broken Monday for Montana . Turnover reached 101 degrees, breaking the record of 100 degrees set to 1959. Wyoming and Nebraska also recorded daily high temperatures.
In the northern plains, Record daily temperatures could be reached again on Tuesday, if dense cover of wildfire smoke does not keep temperatures low .
More records could fall as the heat spreads south. Higher temperatures will still settle in the northern plains, approaching the 110 degrees in some places the Tuesday.
An extensive heat wave will consume the Central US for the next few days. Widespread excessive heat warnings and heat advisories stretch from MT into the South with the potential for a few record high temperatures in the north-central High Plains. https://t.co/VyWINDk3xP pic.twitter.com/UBhjNsYM8d
– National Weather Service (@NWS) July 27, 2021
Heat combined with extremely dry conditions could mean bad news for the region in an already very active fire season.
Nowadays, 79 large inc Gods have burned 1.5 million acres in 12 state. More of 25, 000 Wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents across the country, according to the National Interagency Firefighters Center.
UPDATE: # Several # wildfires in N. California continue to burn, as seen from @ NOAA ‘s # GOES 17 🛰️ yesterday. Though clouds covered much of the # smoke , the # satellite detected the heat (red) from the # BeckwourthComplexFire , # FlyFire , and # DixieFire , which is the state’s largest . # CAwx pic.twitter.com/2nyMo0jvP2
– NOAA Satellites – Public Affairs (@NOAASatellitePA) July 27, 2021
Extreme heat will continue on Wednesday
For Wednesday, the maximum temperatures will move towards the south, toward the central plains of the United States.
South Dakota and Nebraska will have high maximum temperatures midweek, before a cold front pushes heat out of the region and provides the possibility for monsoon humidity to move toward the northern plains.
Heat index values in the 100 s and strong to severe storms are possible for portions of the area through Wednesday. Stay cool and weather aware over the next couple days! High temperatures in the 80 s across the board by Friday. pic.twitter.com/VVbKcTfc5W
– NWS Aberdeen (@NWSAberdeen) July 26, 2021
The high pressure system will wind its way to the South Downs during the week, parking over Oklahoma and Texas during the weekend.
Triple-digit temperatures will peak in those states on Saturday and Sunday, before heat returns to average values for next week.