Heat warnings and watches are in place for 110 million people across 21 states for the holiday period, with dangerous and potentially historic extreme heat due for the West in the coming days and temperatures of 115 degrees possible. The National Weather Service office in San Francisco warned yesterday that this heat event could last 6 to 12 days, making it the longest stretch of extreme temperatures the Bay Area has seen in at least 18 years.
Little Rock, Arkansas, could see a heat index reading of 116 degrees, while Pheonix, Arizona, is set to reach 113 on the same scale. Excessive heat and humidity will stretch from Nashville to New Orleans on Wednesday and Thursday, but slightly cooler temperatures arrive by Friday. It’s already been a record-breaking year for temperatures. It's only early July, but Miami has spent more time in or above 105 degrees on the heat index than in the entirety of 2019.