The new month heading into the upcoming long holiday weekend is going to a record-breaking hot one for many parts of Eastern and central U.S. On top of that, severe storms could ring the hot air.

The weather over the next several days will be driven by what meteorologists call a "Ring of Fire." A large, nearly stationary high-pressure area will produce abundant sunshine and hot temperatures throughout the South, Midwest and East. High temperatures will be in the 90s to over 100 degrees with increasing humidity making it feel even hotter.

Around the southern and western edges, an influx of moisture from the Gulf will interact with the hot air to generate waves of afternoon thunderstorms across the high western and northern Plains and along the Gulf Coast.

These storms will be capable of generating damaging winds and large hail.

The hot weather will stick around all week, with record-breaking triple digit highs hitting the highly populated I-95 corridor from Washington to Boston, including Philadelphia and New York City on Thursday and Friday. Track it on the TemperatureRadar.