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HEAT WAVE: Get ready for a stretch of 90-degree days

A heat wave is headed to Northeast Ohio

By: Katie McGraw

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and last updated

Get ready to sweat! A heat wave is looking more and more likely in the coming days. Plan for it to start on Father's Day and continue for several days into next week.

A cold front moved through NEO over the last day, bringing a small amount of rain and slightly cooler temperatures. On Thursday, high temperatures were in the upper 80s, while Friday's afternoon temperatures will be five to 10 degrees cooler. Highs in the 70s are expected on Saturday. We have to wait until Sunday for the heat to surge to the upper 80s and low 90s. A huge ridge of high pressure will be positioned to the south of us, impacting a huge portion of the United States and creating a heat dome.

This high pressure will keep rain chances low, clouds at a minimum and change the wind direction to be more southerly. All of this will help boost the temperatures up into the 90s by early next week. The humidity or dew points will also be climbing. Dew points represent the amount of moisture in the air. When the dew point temperatures gets to around 60 degrees, you begin to notice the stickiness in the air. As that number goes up, the more uncomfortable it becomes outside. By Monday, it looks like the dew points across northeast Ohio could climb into the upper 60s and low 70s. When you take into account the already hot temperatures, plus increased moisture in the air, it will feel even hotter! For example, in the heat index chart below, air temperatures (the top number) in the low to mid-90s and a dew point temperature (left number) in the upper 60s to low 70s can make a heat index or feels like temperature in the mid/upper 90s to the low triple digits.

The feels like temperature or the heat index value is not some number made up by the news to try and sensationalize the heat. It is actually a scientific fact! The body cools itself by sweating; however, when there is more moisture in the air, it prevents your body from sweating effectively. Therefore, the body feels warmer when it’s humid. Heat-related illness can occur when the ability of the body to cool itself is challenged or when there are insufficient levels of fluid or salt in the body due to sweating or dehydration. Intense heat is no joke. Excessive heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States. The combo of high heat and high humidity can lead to heat related illness, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

When it gets very hot outside

Stay hydrated
Stay out of the sun
Get breaks inside/with air-conditioning
Take breaks if you work outside
Wear lightweight & loose fitting clothing
Get outside in the morning or evenings when it is not as hot
Remember car interiors can reach deadly temperatures in a matter of minutes during hot or warm weather. Never leave young children and pets unattended in vehicles.

We are also in need of rain. This year was way below average with snowfall, and it has been very dry over the last few weeks. While the US drought monitor does not have NEO in the early stages of drought yet, that could easily change. For all of 2024, Cleveland (at Hopkins Airport) has a deficiency of 3.14 inches of precipitation. The month of June has also only picked up 0.83 inches which puts us in a deficiency of 0.81 inches.

The lack of rain can lead to drought and drought is a vicious cycle. Dry conditions lead to warmer than normal temperatures, which in turn promotes ridging (high pressure aloft) which then limits rain potential. And one decent rain is not always an immediate fix. Unfortunately, we can see the cycle continuing this week with limited rain chances over the next several days.