After enduring days of severe flooding in Florida, the state and many others are preparing for a significant heat wave. At the same time, the Pacific Northwest is set to experience unusually cold weather, and there’s a chance of late-season snow in the Rocky Mountains early next week.
The weather outlook is complicated by potential severe thunderstorms forming between hot and cold fronts. Forecasters warn of possible flash flooding from eastern Nebraska to northern Wisconsin on Saturday night, along with strong storms across parts of eastern Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Additionally, a surge of tropical moisture is expected to reach the central Gulf Coast in the coming days, bringing heavy rain starting Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
“These weather events are interconnected,” said David Roth, a forecaster at the National Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
A driver blinks the hazard lights as heavy rain falls (Via Josh Parker/Shutterstock)
“The heat building over the Midwest and Northeast is due to an unusually amplified weather pattern for June.”
In the Northwest, a low-pressure system has brought scattered thunderstorms and hail to Seattle and other cities in western Washington. Frost warnings have prompted gardeners in northern Idaho to protect sensitive plants over the weekend.
In Phoenix, temperatures soared to 111 degrees Fahrenheit by late afternoon, with predictions of slightly higher temperatures. Lee Franklin, spokesperson for the Phoenix Public Library, reported that over 5,000 people had sought relief at library cooling centers, including a new 24-hour center at the Burton Barr Library.
“On these extremely hot days, we clearly see the demand for and the use of our heat relief services,” Franklin noted.
