‘Extraordinarily hot’: US heatwave stretches on with millions still under warnings | US weather
At least 40 million people were under extreme heat warnings in the central and southern United States on Sunday; High temperatures and intense humidity affected large parts of the country for the second day in a row.
Heat indices above 100F (38C) ranged from Minnesota to Mississippi and west to southern California and Nevada. Parts of the Southwest were expected to see high temperatures of 120F (49C), according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists said the muggy weather was the result of another heat dome; This is a phenomenon where atmospheric conditions trap heat, increasing and prolonging already high temperatures.
“It’s extraordinarily hot,” said Pete Miller, outreach manager for Threshold CoC, a homeless services network that distributed water bottles to residents in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday.
“We’re seeing a lot of people getting heat exhausted and really dangerously exhausted,” Miller added. “The humidity is so high. You stand outside for 30 seconds and you get soaked. And it’s going to be like that all night long.”
Rapid City, South Dakota, reported an all-time high of 112F on Saturday. The horse race scheduled for Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, was canceled Sunday due to heat.
“It’s affecting a lot of people in the middle of the country right now,” NWS meteorologist Bob Oravec said. “The center of the heat will collapse towards the south at the beginning of next week.”
The moist air was creating other ripples at the top of the heat dome, including the risk of severe thunderstorms, flash floods and hail around the Great Lakes on Sunday. The potential for severe storms was expected to move eastward in the coming days.
“If you have a heat dome in one part of the country, there will be a correspondingly different weather pattern somewhere else,” Oravec said. “Everything is connected.”
He stated that temporary relief will come to the central parts of the USA towards the middle of the week, but high temperatures may return by the weekend.
Officials have warned that children and older adults, as well as people with certain medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious conditions such as heatstroke and even death. Experts recommend seeking air conditioning or a cooling center, making sure you drink enough water, and limiting time spent in direct sun.
Extreme heat events are increasing and getting worse due to the climate crisis caused by the burning of fuels such as gasoline, oil and coal.
The continental U.S. had its second-warmest first half of the year in 2026, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information’s average temperature tracking.
