"Notctober" - Much of US running 5-20 degrees warmer

Does it feel like October where you are? Abundant heat isn't only in the West this week. Temperatures are running 5 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year from coast to coast, and will do so through the weekend.

The western heat wave has been one of the top news stories this week, alongside Hurricane Helene's aftermath. Temperatures are running as much as 20 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year, especially along California's Central Valley as well as eastward in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Many are headed for record-breaking highs today.

High pressure is dominating the upper atmosphere in the U.S., except for a few select spots, - hello, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast - allowing for the above-average heat to flow across most of the U.S.

The TemperatureRadar is painted in hues of orange and red, with dark red to pink, the warmest of temperatures, being found in the Desert Southwest and California. It will look like this for the foreseeable future. Even on Wednesday morning, residents in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California are waking up to temps already in the mid-to-upper 80s.

If you need some cooling encouragement, check out the below-average temperatures today across portions of the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on the TemperatureRadar. However, these won't be around for long as the mercury heads back up starting Thursday, running up to 15 degrees warmer than usual.