Heat wave incoming: Record highs forecast from Midwest to Northeast

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Keep it cool this summer with these sun safety tips This year's first major heat wave is on the way for many parts of the country. Stay safe in the sun with these tips.

Everybody into the pool!

The first widespread heat wave of the season is forecast to bake much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation over the next several days.

Record high temperatures and increasing levels of humidity are expected from the Midwest to the Northeast into next week, with highs soaring into the 90s all the way from the Plains to New England, weather.com said.

On Sunday through Tuesday, cities from Omaha, Neb., to Bangor, Maine, could shatter record high temperatures, some of which have stood since the 1800s. On Sunday, it's forecast to be hotter in Bangor (91 degrees) than Las Vegas (88 degrees).

Dew points, a way of measuring humidity, are expected to soar to near 70 degrees early next week for much of the eastern U.S., according to the National Weather Service. When dew points reach 70 degrees, it feels very sticky and sultry.

The heat is due to a strong upper-level ridge of high pressure that will build across the Plains and into the Midwest this weekend. Air sinks under areas of high pressure, preventing clouds from forming. This ridge will then slide into the East into early next week.

Clockwise flow around the high will bring hot, humid southwesterly winds across the East.

Heat wave help: 5 ways to survive blistering temps Heat waves are no joke. Keep safe and healthy with these tips.

Folks in the Great Lakes and New England may be tempted to dive into a nearby lake or ocean, but the water is still quite frigid. “The waters along the New England coast, most of the Great Lakes and many streams are still too cold to enter,” AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

The #beach & #pool will be the hot spots this weekend for the East and central U.S. as summer heat develops. More: https://t.co/2E5xGvU918 pic.twitter.com/E3lCrTrxXu — WeatherBug (@WeatherBug) June 9, 2017

Though the South will also be hot and steamy, temperatures are not likely to break records. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will fire up over the Southeast over the next few days as a cold front stalls over Florida, the weather service said. Heavy rain in Florida could lead to more flash flooding.

While the central and eastern U.S. swelter, the Northwest will see some unusually chilly temperatures, AccuWeather said. Over the mountains, temperatures will plunge into the 30s and lower 40s during daytime rain and snow showers, with lows at night possibly dipping into the 20s.

High elevations of the Cascades, Rockies and Sierra could receive several inches of snow.

El Niño odds drop; Drought on holiday

In other weather news, the likelihood of an El Niño forming later this year continues to diminish, the Climate Prediction Center said in a forecast released Thursday. El Niño, which occurs when tropical Pacific Ocean water is warmer than average, affects weather worldwide and often suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity.

Instead, the "neutral" phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate cycle is most likely, the center said. This occurs when waters are neither unusually warm (El Niño) nor unusually cool (La Niña).

The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday said that for the first time since June 2005, no portion of the 50 U.S. states are in "extreme" drought, the next-to-worst category. Recent heavy rain in Florida knocked down drought severity there, the report said.

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