Record Heat Sweeps Across the United States as Temperatures Surge From the Pacific Coast to the East Coast
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A slow-moving heat pattern settles over the country
A broad dome of high pressure is slowly sliding east across the United States, bringing a long stretch of unusually hot weather from the Pacific Coast toward the East Coast.The setup is moving slowly. Very slowly.
Meteorologists say the pattern is being driven by a ridge of sinking air stretching from the Rockies eastward. Under that ridge, skies stay mostly clear, winds remain lighter, and temperatures climb steadily day after day.
The jet stream has been pushed farther north, leaving much of the country under calmer but increasingly hotter conditions. Areas south of that jet stream are expected to feel the strongest heat through early next week.
Afternoons are starting to feel more like midsummer than May in many places. Pavement is heating up early in the day. Dry air and bright sun are taking over large parts of the landscape.
Heat expands through the Plains and Rockies
The hottest air first surged across the West, but it is now spreading deeper into the Plains and central United States.Forecasters say daily record highs are possible as far north as Montana on Wednesday, where temperatures could climb into the 90s. Heat is also spreading across the Dakotas and much of the central Plains.
Cities including Omaha, NE, Kansas City, MO, and Wichita, KS, may challenge daily temperature records during the coming days.
Some parts of the central and southern Plains could remain in the 90s into the weekend, including areas farther north than usual for this time of year. Nebraska is among the states expected to see persistent heat through several consecutive afternoons.
The warming trend is expected to continue moving eastward, and parts of the Northeast could end up nearly 30 degrees warmer next Monday compared to temperatures recorded earlier this week.
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Record heat wave spreads from West Coast to East Coast with 90s and triple-digit temperaturesThe East prepares for a rapid warm-up
The same ridge that baked the West and Plains is forecast to strengthen again as it approaches the East Coast this weekend.That means temperatures in the 80s are expected to spread across much of the eastern United States, bringing a sharp turnaround after cooler spring weather.
From the Mid-Atlantic into New England, the air is expected to warm quickly over just a few days. Morning chill will fade. Evenings will stay milder. Cities that recently felt cool and gray are preparing for bright skies and building warmth.
The atmosphere changes during these patterns. The air feels heavier. Sunlight turns harsher by midafternoon. Sidewalks radiate heat well after sunset.
Records already falling across the West
Several cities in the western United States have already broken or tied daily temperature records as this heat wave intensifies.On Mother’s Day, Reno, NV, climbed into the 90s for the first time this year and reached a record high of 92 degrees.
Death Valley, CA, tied its daily record on Sunday with a blistering 112 degrees. Thermal, CA, reached 108 degrees, matching a previous record set in 2025.
The heat did not ease Monday.
Las Vegas, NV, pushed to 104 degrees and set a new daily record. Salt Lake City, UT, and Reno both climbed to 92 degrees, also breaking daily records.
Even Casper, WY, experienced unusual heat. Temperatures there reached 85 degrees, setting a new daily record for the date.
Some cooler relief arrives in the Northwest
Not every region will stay locked in the heat.Forecasters expect cooler air to arrive first in the Northwest before spreading into the northern Rockies and northern Plains later this week.
Salt Lake City, UT, is forecast to cool noticeably, with daytime highs expected to fall back into the 70s by Thursday.
That incoming cooler air should also trim temperatures slightly across the Southwest later in the week, although conditions there will remain very hot for May. Las Vegas is still expected to see temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, while Phoenix, AZ, could continue reaching the low 100s.
The contrast across the country is expected to sharpen over the next several days. Cooler air will edge into the Northwest while much of the central and eastern United States continues heating under the stubborn ridge of high pressure.
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