The heat wave expected to hit the Southeast over the next few days has finally caught the attention of forecasters and emergency managers. The Vane posted a new blog entry on the temperatures expected for the next few days. Of course, here in the Southeast it is not just the heat but also the humidity which will make things feel particularly oppressive, especially for so early in the season.
The Southeast Regional Climate Center’s Perspectives tool (https://www.sercc.com/perspectives?user=true) provides a look at the expected rankings of maximum and minimum temperature out to two days ahead. The forecast for Saturday shows that while most of the Southeast is not expected to see record-setting highs and lows, the far eastern coasts could see near-record temperatures, particularly the minimum temperatures on Saturday morning. You can get updated rankings for newer forecasts as they become available, since the heat wave is expected to last into early next week.
AgWeb posted some additional information about the dangers of heat stress and provides a link to the OSHA Heat Safety tool for Android and Apple smartphones that allows you to calculate risk factors for heat-related illnesses. They also pointed out here that the ridge of high pressure that is causing the heat wave is directing moisture into the central Plains where it has the potential to create more heavy rains and flooding, the last thing they need now.
