Summer hasn’t officially begun, but record-breaking heat is already sweeping parts of the country - BERITAJA

Extreme heat, flash flooding, and terrible thunderstorms are forecast for tens of millions of group crossed the state this weekend.

Even though June 21 marks the first time of summer, temperatures crossed the state already consciousness for illustration the highest of the season.

An estimated 26 cardinal group will acquisition utmost power crossed the West, the Plains and the Southeast. Some areas — including Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Tallahassee, Florida; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Tulsa, Oklahoma — could spot temperatures scope arsenic precocious arsenic 108 degrees, pinch about daytime highs settling successful the 90s. These readings are about 5 to 10 degrees supra emblematic mid-June levels.

The West Coast is besides bracing for rising temperatures, pinch highs climbing to 10 to 25 degrees supra normal this weekend. Daytime temperatures will scope from the 80s to complete 100 crossed California, Oregon and Washington, pinch progressive power alerts successful effect for Bakersfield and Redding, California; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle.

Heat isn’t the only threat. Severe thunderstorm watches are successful effect done 3 p.m. CT Saturday for portions of Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. An further 20 cardinal group look the consequence of beardown to terrible storms this weekend, pinch activity expected to create aft 6–7 p.m. crossed Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

Flash flood alerts are besides successful spot for those areas. Cities about astatine consequence see Kansas City; Tulsa; Wichita, Kansas; and Springfield and Joplin, Missouri. Additional hazards see imaginable tornadoes, upwind gusts up to 75 mph and ample hail, pinch storms apt to persist done the evening.

By Sunday, showers and thunderstorms are expected to push into parts of the mid-Atlantic, Appalachians and Ohio Valley, putting arsenic galore arsenic 54 cardinal group astatine consequence — including those successful New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Storms successful those areas could nutrient upwind gusts exceeding 65 mph and quarter-sized hail done the day and evening.

The weekend’s terrible upwind follows a turbulent agelong earlier this week, erstwhile severe upwind placed 13 cardinal group nether flood watches and triggered wide powerfulness outages. At 1 constituent Tuesday afternoon, 35,000 customers crossed Kansas were without power.

Some of these somesthesia shifts could beryllium linked to El Niño, a earthy ambiance shape that warms aboveground temperatures successful the tropical Pacific. Its effects could amplify the warming already driven by ambiance change.