Torrid Weather About To Torch Much Of The Nation

Looks like most of the nation over the next week
or two is going to be even hotter than the
normal July heat. The exception is an expected
cool Pacific Northwest and parts of Alaska.  

For most, but not all of the nation, mid-July is traditionally the most likely time of year to get the nastiest heat wave of the year.

Cue the hot spell!

A big, huge subtropical ridge of high pressure is setting itself up in the middle of the country, and that promises to engulf much of the nation in very, very hot weather.

Most of the heat will cover the southern Rocky Mountains, most of Plains States and most of the nation east of the Mississippi River.

Except in the Southwest, the heat will be accompanied by terrible humidity. The heat will largely miss the Pacific Northwest.

The heat ridge will tend to wax and wane a little bit periodically, but it's probably going to generally stay put for close to two weeks at least.

It'll be centered in the middle of the nation, so that's the spot that should experience the worst and most persistent heat for much of the rest of July.

The northern tier of states and the Northeast, especially New England, will be on the outer edges of this Heat Ridge From Hell.

The good news is that there will probably be occasional cold fronts, so the heat will come and go. You know the pattern: Hot 'n humid for a couple days, then refreshing, then back to the steam bath.

The bad news is being on the edges of the Heat Ridge From Hell ups the chances of severe weather outbreaks.

This is especially true if you happen to be on the northeast side of his big hot bubble. (which is most likely in this pattern in New England.

The air aloft will be coming from the northwest, the heat will be trying to invade from the southwest, and this combination can create lines of bad storms or even, in rare cases, dangerous derechos.

There's no guarantee any of those severe storms would happen, and it's really impossible to tell more than a day ahead of time if there will be any severe weather.

But the potential is there across the northern tier, especially the Northeast, much of the rest of the month.

Another caveat is forecasts can get iffy beyond a few days, so the intensity and location of the worst heat might be a bit different from what I'm laying out here.

Meanwhile, try to stay cool!