So the heat wave is over ... or is it? Depends where you are

The heat wave is over ... or is it?

Although the size of the deadly early July heat wave has shrunk significantly in the past day or so, dangerous heat persists across portions of the South and West.

“The record-smashing heat dome that has been dominating the weather pattern in the central and eastern United States since late last month will finally relent and shift west through mid-July,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bill Dugar in an online forecast.

So far, at least 30 people have died in the heat wave, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data. 

Indeed, extreme heat warnings are now in place for millions of people in the Southwest, including Phoenix, where the National Weather Service warns of “dangerously hot conditions,” with “afternoon temperatures of 111 to 116 degrees” expected.

Other heat alerts have been hoisted in the Southeast, in California and even in northern Alaska, where a forecast high of 80 degrees has prompted a heat advisory.

Cooler, wetter in the Midwest, East

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center, “the footprint of the oppressive heat that affected portions of the central and eastern U.S. last week will continue to contract through early this week as seasonable to below-normal temperatures spread across much of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Ohio Valley.”

However, the WPC added that “the cooler air will be accompanied by a slow-moving frontal boundary and areas of low pressure, supporting multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms with an increasing threat of heavy rainfall and flash flooding across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.”

Were any records set during the heat wave?

While scores of daily record high temperatures were set from Kansas to Maine, only one all-time record is known to have fallen: Atlantic City, New Jersey, reached 106 degrees on Saturday, breaking the city’s record high temperature, according to Weather.com.

Washington, D.C., soared to 102 degrees on Saturday, which made it the hottest Independence Day on record there and set a record that had been in place since 1872.

Philadelphia and Boston also set daily high temperature records during the heat wave.

Such temperatures contributed to a significant risk of health issues, Weather.com warned: Through July 4, over 165 million Americans in the Midwest and East had been at risk of either “major” or “extreme” heat-related health issues, according to the National Weather Service.

Where will the heat go next?

Heat and fires will be the story in the West this month, forecasters said.

“Heat will intensify and expand across the Rockies and Plains through midmonth,” said AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok in an online forecast.

“This will lead to more fires and smoke in the Rockies and High Plains and poor air quality due to less wind flow,” he added.

The heat will be driven by the arrival of a strong area of high pressure, known as a heat dome. This is similar to the one that baked the eastern half of the country beginning in late June. It will set up shop first in the Southwest and then expand toward the Plains through midmonth.

While Las Vegas and Phoenix will be near the core of the triple-digit heat through this week and even beyond, the thermometer will also be hot in places like Denver or Salt Lake City, where the 90s are forecast, AccuWeather said.

Heat advisories in Alaska

A forecast high of 80 degrees in northern Alaska has prompted heat advisories there, the weather service said. “Individuals not accustomed to these unusually hot temperatures for this region may experience heat-related illnesses,” the weather service warned.

The normal high temperature there in July in nearby Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) on the Arctic Ocean is in the mid-40s.

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 12:29 PM.