Why extreme summer heat is breaking records in cities across the US
What you need to know about the extreme heat in the US and around the world this summer.
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The heat index is expected to reach near 100 this week, and things should get a bit cooler Wednesday night when rain and strong winds begin to lash Ohio.
According to Alex Kennedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Cleveland office, the storm is expected to reach the Buckeye State sometime between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.
“This will cool us down a bit,” Kennedy said.
“Heat warnings may be necessary”
Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees across the region on Monday afternoon, and temperatures were expected to rise again Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
According to a weather forecast, Tuesday would be the hottest day of the week.
“Heat index values will be at or above 100 degrees Tuesday and could reach 100 again in some locations in northwest and north central Ohio on Wednesday,” the forecast said. “Stay alerted as heat advisories may be necessary. Precautions should be taken to stay cool.”
Destructive winds and “isolated large hail”
The storm from Wednesday evening will intensify over the next few days.
“We will have more information as we get closer,” Kennedy said.
Wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour are expected during the storm.
“We can’t rule out tornadoes with any severe storm,” Kennedy said. “Maybe a few isolated large hailstones, but damaging winds appear to be the main threat for this system.”
Total precipitation is forecast to be less than ¼, with higher amounts possible during local thunderstorms.
Maximum temperatures will remain warm next week
After the storm it will seem a little cooler, but not much.
“It won’t be too significant,” Kennedy said. “We’re probably still expecting temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees, so it won’t drop significantly, but it will still be noticeable.”
Highs for next week are expected to be 94 on Tuesday, 94 on Wednesday, 86 on Thursday, 90 on Friday, 83 on Saturday and 82 on Sunday.
Labor Day is still too far away to predict with any certainty, but early forecasts suggest it could be sunny with highs of 24 degrees.
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