Record-shattering heat wave hitting wide swath of US: Latest forecast
A dangerous heat wave is moving in, with more than 100 million people from the Midwest to the Northeast on alert for life-threatening temperatures.
The widespread heat alerts are first impacting Midwest states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and South Dakota. The heat index -- what the temperature feels like with humidity -- could reach 110 degrees on Friday and Saturday.
Central U.S. cities like Denver and Minneapolis could shatter heat records this weekend. In the Chicago area, the heat index could hit 105 degrees from Saturday to Monday.
The South will also be feeling the heat. The heat index is forecast to hit 104 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday and Tuesday.
The dangerous and record-shattering heat will shift east by the end of the weekend and the start of next week. Daily record highs are possible from Detroit to Raleigh, North Carolina, to Boston on Monday and Tuesday.
In New York City, the heat index is expected to skyrocket to 103 degrees, 107 degrees and 105 degrees from Sunday to Tuesday. In Washington, D.C, the heat index is forecast to jump to 103 degrees, 107 degrees and 108 degrees.
Boston could feel like 102 degrees on Tuesday.
Heat indices up to 107 are also possible in cities including Detroit, Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia from Sunday to Wednesday.
Doctors recommend taking excessive heat warnings seriously. Over 700 people die from heat-related illnesses every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Click here for tips to stay safe in the heat.
