EXTREME WEATHER OUTLOOK

Extreme Weather Discussion

The extreme-weather story next week will likely be the heat, rather than widespread severe storms.

A late-season ridge is expected to build from the Central Plains eastward toward the Mid-Atlantic, with the hottest conditions developing roughly Tuesday through Thursday. Temperatures across portions of the Plains could reach around 100°F or higher, while even the I-95 corridor could potentially approach 100°F for a day or two.

That would be a pretty impressive late-August heat surge, especially given the cooler, more unsettled pattern we've been dealing with across the East. The latest CPC outlook also supports a significant heat signal across the Central and Southern Plains into early September, with many locations potentially exceeding 100°F. (Climate Prediction Center)

The important thing, though, is that this heat should be relatively short-lived. Another cold front is expected to move through toward the middle of next week, shutting down the heat and bringing temperatures back toward a more seasonable—and potentially cooler—pattern.

And that may be the bigger story: this could be one of the last major pushes of summer heat before the overall pattern begins transitioning toward fall.

So we're looking at:

• Tuesday–Thursday: Late-season heat wave

• Central Plains: Around 100°F or higher in places

• Mid-Atlantic/I-95: Potentially near 100°F

• Midweek: Cold front arrives

• Afterward: Sharper cooling and a more early-fall-like pattern

Given how the long-range pattern has been evolving, I wouldn't necessarily say summer heat is completely finished after this event—but this certainly has the look of a last major summer blast before the weather pattern starts making a more pronounced transition toward fall.