Extreme heat expands drought

The hot summer continues across large stretches of the southern and eastern U.S., expanding drought conditions in areas not typically this dry.

As our TemperatureRadar shows, extremely hot weather continues from the central Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley eastward into the South, Southeast and up the East Coast into the highly populated I-95 corridor.

Afternoon highs will climb into the upper 90s with a few records broken today and tomorrow across the South and Southeast as the thermometer streaks into the triple digits in a few spots. It will feel even hotter as humidity levels continue to build and the feel-like temperatures, found in our hourly forecast, skyrockets into the triple digits.

Although there have been and continues to be some scattered storms breaking the heat in parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valleys, widespread rain has been missing across parts of Carolinas, central Appalachians and interior Mid-Atlantic.

Severe and extreme drought conditions have developed and expanded as crops wilt and stream flows diminish due to lack of consistent rainfall. West Virginia hasn’t seen extreme drought conditions since early fall of 2010. This won’t bode well for autumn’s brush fire and foliage season.

The above-average temperatures continue through the first weekend of August for the most of the U.S., with many spots being 5 to 10 degrees above normal. A few storms could bring much needed downpours late Friday to the central Appalachians and Atlantic Seaboard.