East Coast Braces for Typical Summer Heat Wave

By Chris Martz | July 16, 2019

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Well, it's that time of year again, which means that it's only a matter of time before a heat wave grips a part of the country. Unfortunately, the hour class has run out and one is knocking on the doorstep.

As you can see in the map below (Figure 1), a ridge of high pressure is building in over the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northeast this week and will strengthen as we progress into the weekend.

Figure 1. GFS model - weathermodels.com.

While the heat wave will get progressively worse throughout the course of the week as the heat dome strengthens its grip, the weekend looks to be a "bake fest" (Figures 2 and 3). Highs across the lower Plains and up and down the eastern seaboard will be closing in on the 100° mark Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

Figure 2. NWS forecast high temperatures, Saturday - weathermodels.com.

Figure 3. NWS forecast high temperatures, Sunday - weathermodels.com

While I don't think many places will tie or break daily or monthly, records are certainly not out of the question. Some models, like the GFS and European, have been astonishingly aggressive with forecast highs, but I think there's more to be desired. I believe the models are overdoing the heat, but we shall see where the chips fall in the forthcoming days.

Relief will be on the order for next week, as an upper level trough ushers in some cooler air for the east coast.