With Memorial Day behind us, summer is officially in full swing—and Mother Nature isn’t playing around this year. Temperatures are noticeably heating up, prompting the revival of portable air conditioning units and heavy duty fans. In fact, the heat index in parts of the country is already exceeding typical summer peak temperatures. And it doesn’t look like the sun is letting up anytime soon: Forecasters predict that some states will experience record highs as early as June 5 due a brutal “heat dome” now burning through Mexico, per The Washington Post.
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Mexico is battling its deadliest heat waves in centuries. During the summer months, the country's average high ranges from the mid- to high 70s, according to U.S. News & World Report. However, since early May, Mexico has been experiencing a heat dome consisting of triple-digit temperatures.
On X, climate historian Maximiliano Herrera reported that Valle Nacional, Oaxaca, had its hottest day in history, with temperatures hitting 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, the state of Coahuila had its highest temperature on record of 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
With each passing day, Mexico City continues to break records. For the first time in 150 years, the country’s capital reached 94.5 degrees Fahrenheit, per the Mexico National Meteorological Service. According to The Washington Post, some parts of Mexico were also closing in on 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
The extreme heat has forced Mexico into a countrywide drought. The latest update from the North American Drought Monitor shows that 80 percent of Mexico is moderately to severely dry. Over 45 people have died from heat stroke and dehydration, per the country’s Ministry of Health (via Reuters).
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Researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico warn that in the coming days Mexico “will experience the highest temperatures ever recorded.” And now the country's heat dome is on the move, soon drastically raising temperatures in the U.S. as well.
Our first heat wave of the season is about seven to 10 days away, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The heat dome is predicted to infiltrate parts of Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Florida, and Texas—all of which have at least a 60 to 70 percent chance of above-average highs.
Texas is already feeling the heat. The Houston Hobby Airport set an all-time high over the weekend, cruising in at 115 degrees Fahrenheit—a major spike from the previous record of 108 degrees Fahrenheit, which was reported in 1998.
Florida also got an early taste of the heat dome. Beach destinations like Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, and Tampa have recorded unprecedented temperatures for the month of May, The Washington Post reports.
While the Northeast is suspected to have “near normal” temperatures, the CPC forecasts that New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and other neighboring states will get an “likely above” amount of rain, which can bring in stifling humidity.
