A major pattern change is expected to build next week ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend, bringing rising heat, higher humidity, and a renewed threat of storms to parts of the region.
The National Weather Service Eastern Region said the heat next week will be worth watching, especially for anyone with outdoor plans ahead of the holiday weekend.
AccuWeather says a large heat dome will develop over the central and eastern US before Independence Day, with the core likely centered over the Ohio Valley, the middle Mississippi Valley, and the Tennessee Valley for much of next week.
The heat will expand outward at times, reaching the Great Lakes, the East, and other areas, AccuWeather said.
"It will turn very hot and humid in the East for the second half of next week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said. "Multiple days with highs well into the 90s are likely along the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic."
An AccuWeather forecast graphic for next week shows widespread highs in the 90s, high humidity, the risk of heat-related illnesses, and little relief at night.
Another graphic for Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, shows the heat dome expanding into the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast, bringing heat indices of 100 to 110 degrees over a broad area.
The same pattern could also bring rounds of thunderstorms.
AccuWeather says storms may form along the northern edge of the heat dome, where the jet stream separates hotter air from cooler air farther north.
Next week, that setup could bring damaging thunderstorms from eastern Canada into the northeastern US.
A strong front could also bring damaging winds and brief downpours ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend from the Great Lakes to the Northeast, AccuWeather said.
An AccuWeather storm-sector graphic shows the risk zone extending into parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and New England, with some storms potentially severe.
The timing of storms will matter for how hot individual locations get.
"Where storms hold off until later in the day or evening, temperatures may surge into the 90s," AccuWeather Senior Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Lundberg explained. "Where storms occur at the start of the day and linger to the midday hours, the locations affected may get a break from the heat that day."
For now, the main message is early preparation.
Anyone with outdoor work, travel, cookouts, beach plans, or holiday events should keep checking the forecast as heat and storm timing come into better focus.
Check back with Daily Voice for the latest updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
