Whew! Today's Weather Map Is Hot; The Nation Is Baking
Today's forecast. The redder it is, the hotter it will be. National Weather Service hide caption
Today's forecast. The redder it is, the hotter it will be.
National Weather ServiceOne look at the National Weather Service's national temperature map today pretty much tells the story.
It's going to be broiling across most of the continental U.S. today and in may places through the weekend.
As The Associated Press says, "if you're feeling hot this week, it's not a mirage." More than 1,000 municipalities have set new high temperature records in the past week or so and more are coming.
The hot temperatures are making headlines across the nation, some of them sad:
-- "Heat Wave Suspected In Two Deaths." (The Kansas City Star)
-- "Forecast Calls For Highs Near 100 Through Tuesday." (The Baltimore Sun)
-- "Heat Wave Settles Across Region As Residents Clamber To Keep Cool." (Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia)
Weather.com runs through cities likely to hit 100 degrees today and in coming days. They include St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta and Raleigh.
As the experts always say: Stay indoors if you can; go to a local cooling center if your home gets too hot; check on the elderly; and keep hydrated.
Tips on keeping cool are welcome in the comments thread.
Update at 2:45 p.m. ET. "Excessive Heat Warning" For Washington/Baltimore.
The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang blog reports that:
"The National Weather Service has upgraded today's heat advisory to an excessive heat warning for Washington, D.C. and Baltimore and close-in suburbs. Temperatures are likely to be hotter than previously anticipated, prompting the more serious alert.
"A heat advisory is issued when the heat index is forecast to reach 105, whereas an excessive heat warning is issued for hazardous heat indices of 110 or higher."