Big Hot Weather and Storms in the U.S.: A Super Simple Guide

What’s Happening Right Now?

• About 100 million people across the United States are facing extremely hot temperatures this week.
• A “heat dome” (we’ll explain this soon!) that first made the western part of the country very hot is now spreading to the Northeast.
• In Billings, Montana, the temperature hit a record 111°F on Sunday.
• Dangerous heat was also felt across the Great Basin, the Rockies, and parts of the desert Southwest.

Maps Show the Latest Heat Wave

According to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan, temperatures are expected to be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than normal for this time of year. Some places will see record-breaking temperatures all week.

Map shows forecast high temperatures and heat alerts stretching from the Plains to the Northeast. (CBS News)

When will it be hottest? (Timeline)

1. The Northern Tier (the top part of the country) will reach its peak heat on Tuesday.
2. The Northeast will reach its peak on Wednesday.

The “heat index” (that’s the “feels‑like” temperature when you mix heat with sticky air) will be in the high 90s to over 100°F for the next several days across a wide area.

Map shows the heat index from the northern Plains through the Northeast. (CBS News)

• Salt Lake City reached an all‑time high of 109°F on Sunday. The old record was 107°F, which was last tied in 1960, 2002, 2021, and twice in 2022.
• Most of Utah was under an extreme heat warning (a big alarm from weather experts) that was supposed to last until Tuesday morning.
• The Dakotas also had extreme heat warnings for large areas.

Important Point: Forecasters say this unusually long heat is “exceptionally rare” for some locations even in mid‑July. The National Weather Service says the hazardous heat will spread eastward at times and stick around in the central U.S. through next weekend.

What Is a Heat Dome? (And Why It’s So Hot)

A heat dome is an atmospheric trick where hot air gets trapped under a kind of invisible lid in the sky over one place.
It built up in the West after the first heat wave of the summer started baking the area last week. Now experts say we should brace for:

• Widespread high temperatures between 105°F and 115°F
• Many local temperature records broken
• Increased risk of wildfires
• Higher chance of heat‑related illnesses, including heat stroke (when the body gets dangerously too hot)

Callout for Important Points: The weather service warned: “Extremely hot daytime highs combined with potentially record‑warm lows will result in increasing heat stress over the next several days due to limited relief.” That means even nighttime stays hot, so our bodies get little chance to cool down.

Heat Fuels Wildfires and Thunderstorms

• In California, the Summit Fire in Antelope Valley (near Los Angeles) temporarily forced people to evacuate as it burned nearly 3,000 acres. By Sunday evening, firefighters had it 31% contained.
• Extreme heat is expected over parts of Southern California and Arizona through Thursday, with temperatures in the 90s and 100s, especially in the desert Southwest.
• Overnight temperatures were forecast to break records in Southern California, but the Southwest wasn’t expected to break those nighttime records.

Map shows areas forecast to see above normal temperatures in mid‑July 2026. (CBS News)

• In Colorado, two new wildfires sparked on Sunday in the high country while crews were still fighting the Aspen Acres Fire (which had already burned more than 850 structures, including hundreds of homes).
• Senator John Hickenlooper (a Colorado Democrat) toured the damage and said the state needs more funding to battle wildfires. He noted: “There have been huge cuts to the fire service, to the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], there’ve been cuts everywhere.”

Rain and Flood Risk

While some areas bake, other parts get soaked:

• Heavy rain and flooding are a concern in the South. In New Orleans, Louisiana, thunderstorms dropped several inches of rain, forcing families to wade through knee‑high water.

Rain, some of it heavy, is in the forecast across the South through Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (CBS News)

• In Missouri, on Saturday, hundreds were rescued from historic flash flooding. Rescue crews airlifted more than 200 people from a children’s camp after 6 to 12 inches of rain fell in the southeast part of the state.
• Farther east, the Philadelphia area cleaned up after powerful microbursts (sudden strong wind blasts from a storm) with gusts up to 70 mph. Mayor Cherelle Parker signed a Declaration of Disaster Emergency on Sunday.

Summary

• Around 100 million people in the U.S. are facing a massive heat wave because a heat dome is trapping hot air.
• Temperature records are falling from Montana to Utah to the Northeast, with heat indexes feeling like over 100°F.
• The same hot, dry conditions are feeding wildfires in California and Colorado.
• Meanwhile, the South and parts of the Midwest are dealing with heavy rain, floods, and strong winds.
• Officials stress that the prolonged heat is dangerous and ask everyone to pay attention to weather alerts.

FAQ

Q1: What is a heat dome in kid‑friendly words?
A: Imagine a giant upside‑down bowl in the sky that keeps hot air from floating away. The land underneath stays超级 hot for days.

Q2: What does “heat index” mean?
A: It’s the “feels‑like” number. If it’s 90°F but very humid, it might feel like 100°F on your skin. That combos number is the heat index.

Q3: What is an extreme heat warning?
A: It’s a special alert from the National Weather Service telling people that it’s so hot it can make you sick, so you should be extra careful.

Q4: What is a microburst?
A: A microburst is a sudden, fierce gust of wind that drops down from a thunderstorm—like a quick, powerful puff that can blow down trees and damage homes.

Reporting by Carter Evans, Nikki Nolan, and Andrew Kozak contributed to the original information in this article.