Buckle up, America.
Most of the country will experience the hottest week of the summer as the dangerously hot temperatures baking parts of the South and West for weeks begin to expand to the East Coast, with more than 250 million people from coast-to-coast seeing above-average heat.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, this will be the hottest week of the summer after comparing conditions to the previous two months, and three-quarters of the country will be experiencing above-average temperatures.
This is due to a shifting upper air pattern that will plunge the East Coast into dangerous heat and humidity later in the week.
Wednesday appears to be the hottest day of the week, with about 255 million Americans expecting above-average temperatures.
Of those, 232 million (75%) will see high temperatures at least 5 degrees above average.
Temperatures into the 90s will stretch from the Southwest through the southern Plains, Midwest, Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Thursday.
And while temperatures will be hot, the FOX Forecast Center doesn’t expect many records to fall.
Heat alerts in place
Millions of Americans from the West Coast to Florida are under either Excessive Heat Warnings or Heat Advisories as temperatures soar.
Heat Advisories are much more expansive and encompass areas from the Southwest to the Plains. South Florida is also under Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories.
The Sunshine State has had those alerts in place for more than 20 straight days.
“It’s important to remind people that, you know, Florida, it does get hot,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jason Frazer said. “It’s just that we’ve been historically seeing temperatures anywhere between 10 to about 15 degrees above where they should be for this time of year.”
Heat alerts are likely to expand as the heat builds across the U.S.
With temperatures rising, taking the proper precautions to stay safe is important.
The extreme heat has claimed several lives so far this summer, including at least two people inside Death Valley National Park in California. Last week, a 10-month-old was left alone in a hot car in Florida and died. Several people have also died in Texas since June due to the extreme heat.
Hottest week of the summer from coast-to-coast
Tuesday temperatures
The heat and humidity will begin to shift farther to the east on Tuesday, with more cities in the Midwest seeing temperatures rise.
St. Louis, for example, is expected to see a high temperature of around 94 degrees on Monday. But the feels-like temperature will make it feel like it’s 100 degrees.
Omaha, Nebraska, will also feel extremely hot. The city is forecast to see a high temperature of 93 degrees and a feels-like temperature of 103.
Wednesday temperatures
The Fox Forecast Center expects Wednesday to be the hottest day of the week for millions across the U.S.
Temperatures ranging from the low 90s to 100 degrees are expected from the Plains and Midwest to the Great Lakes region, Southeast and mid-Atlantic.
Nashville has a forecast high of 96 degrees and a feels-like temperature of 100 degrees.
In the mid-Atlantic, Charlotte, North Carolina, is expected to see a high temperature of 94 degrees and a feels-like temperature of around 97 degrees.
Thursday temperatures
The hot temperatures will stick around in the east as we head toward the end of the week.
On Thursday, New York City is expected to see a high temperature of 91 degrees. But the humidity will have arrived by that time, and the feels-like temperature will make it feel like it’s close to 100 degrees.
Detroit, too, has a forecast high temperature in the low 90s, but it will feel like it’s around 100.
