Heat wave will top records in East, Midwest through July 4

Key Points:

• A major heat wave will impact over 180 million Americans from the Midwest to the East through the Fourth of July, with oppressive humidity and record-approaching temperatures in the mid-Atlantic states.
• The National Weather Service has issued numerous extreme heat watches, warnings, and advisories spanning from Florida to the Upper Midwest and Northeast, signaling dangerous or imminent heat conditions.
• In the Northeast, highs in the mid-90s to triple digits are expected from Wednesday through the holiday weekend, potentially breaking historic records in cities like Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C., with little nighttime cooling.
• The Midwest will experience sustained heat with highs in the 90s and dangerous heat indices reaching triple digits in cities such as Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit, where record highs are possible.
• The South will face persistent and oppressive heat with highs in the 90s to over 100 degrees, combined with high humidity, maintaining dangerous heat indices across the region; some relief is expected by the weekend and early next week as the heat dome shifts westward.