The punishing heat wave brings heat to the eastern US, lasting for several days, highlighting the way climate change warms things.
Heat Dome brings 115 degrees to the central and southern US temperatures
The giant heat dome pushes the true feel of central and southern US at 115 degrees
As the clock marks the last day of July, thermometers climb most of the eastern half of the United States, creating a long and dangerous, long-term heat wave that is exposed to millions of people at risk of fever strokes and other illnesses.
Those in the heat wave path should plan to take extra measures to keep them cool until at least July 30th. Stay in the air-conditioned space, visit the pool, stack popsicles and lemonade to pull out your favorite cold summer salad recipes.
“This will result in a long-term heat wave, with little overnight mitigation and humidity levels, and increased risk,” the National Weather Service’s Center for Meteorological Forecast said on July 24th.
Jennifer Tate’s July 25 forecast at the Prediction Center predicts that daily highs in the late 90s will be combined with humidity to create conditions where “feeling-like” temperatures exceed 110-115 degrees.
High-pressure domes sitting in the eastern part of the country help to trap heat, while the abundant moisture in the air makes the actual temperature feel a few degrees warmer. Extraordinary heat and humidity can remain for several days, maintaining major to extreme categories of heat risks until the end of the month in most of the eastern US.
Friday’s forecast by Jennifer Tate at the Weather Center said the dangerous heat will last the longest in the Tennessee Valley/South South region and the southeast. The low mornings in the 70s “it’s not too reassuring.” Further north, the Midwest, Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic can expect hotter temperatures than they did up until the 90s.
A forecast map from weather services shows that the US, covered in warm shades of purple, red and orange, means intense heat. By July 30 or 31, there is a hope of a cold front that will help cool things down in the Ohio Valley area.
According to the American Red Cross, anyone who absolutely has to be outside must take extra precautions to stay hydrated and keep their bodies safe.
The only danger presented by conditions governed by high pressure regions is not heat. The atmospheric interactions around the heat dome are predicted to cause thunderstorms and heavy rain.
“It’s not your grandmother’s heat wave.”
The summer was always hot.
Max Holmes, president and CEO of Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, said: “But it’s more intense, more for a higher period, more often, more.”
“This is exactly what we thought was going to happen,” Holmes said. “As the planet gets warmer, we see more extremes, and it’s extreme that we get. They kill us. They make us sick.”
The heat can be most obvious, but there are others, such as the drought and extreme rainfall that caused a fatal flash flood in Texas Hill Country on July 4th. These extremes can be seen in current heat waves, with record-breaking temperature predictions under high-pressure regions and heavy rainfall in storms around the thermal dome.
June 2025 was the seventh hottest on record, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In the first two weeks of July 2025, temperatures across the country were 1.5 degrees warmer than usual in the latest 30 years. Historical data from weather services show that the average temperature in July has been warmer than in 2.7 degrees since 1950.
If the human body temperature is normally 98.6 degrees and is heated at 2.7 degrees, it corresponds to a fever of 101.3. In nature, such increases have similar effects, scientists explain.
The average overnight temperature across the nation is rising even further than the hotter temperatures during the day, weather services data show. This means that the scenery, trees and buildings don’t have the opportunity to cool down, so the next day can get hotter even faster.
According to NASA, extreme levels of heat stress have more than doubled over the past 40 years, and that trend is predicted to continue.
An analysis by Climate Central, published July 21, concluded that human-inflicted climate change has led to at least three times more recent excessive fevers in nearly half of the US population.
“This isn’t your grandmother’s heat wave,” said Kristina Dahl, vice president of science at Climate Central. “Yes, July is usually a hot month, but climate change makes this heat wave much hotter than the past heat waves and therefore more dangerous.”
How hot is it for people?
Long-term exposure to warm temperatures can cause serious and life-threatening complications such as dehydration, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and worsening of existing medical conditions.
Scientists in recent research show the warmest temperatures the human body can withstand without losing its ability to regulate its temperature.
They began to rely on a measurement known as the wet bulb temperature to determine the danger. Use a thermometer with a wet core on top of the bulb to measure the effect of humidity on temperature. Humidity can impair the body’s essential cooling mechanism. The sweat does not evaporate.
Scientists previously thought that 115 degrees at 100% humidity or 105 degrees at 95 degrees at 50% humidity can be attained the warmest temperature before the human body loses its ability to control its temperature.
A 2022 study co-authored by Pennsylvania scientists concluded that even young and healthy people, even wet bulb thermometers, were even lower. Among those at greater risk, such as elderly people and young children, the highest temperatures are probably even lower, the study found.
What can you do to protect yourself and others from extreme heat?
In short, the Red Cross advises:
- Know who is at the most risk – Look for elderly people, young children, pregnant women, people who are suffering from disabilities or drug therapy due to chronic health conditions, people who live alone, or athletes.
- Maintain hydration – Even if you’re not thirsty, drink water every 20 minutes and avoid sweet drinks, caffeine and alcohol.
- Keep it cool – If your home gets too hot, look for an air-conditioned area, limit outdoor activities and wear lightweight, relaxed clothing. Once the air conditioner is off, it may be cooler outside the shade than staying inside the house.
- I’ll act fast – If you develop symptoms of fever fatigue or stroke, such as cramps, sweating, annoying skin, dizziness, fainting, nausea and vomiting, take measures to quickly cool down people. Move them to a cool place, remove excess clothes and cool in a wet cloth or a cool bath, and give them water or sports drinks, but avoid drinking “energy” drinks.
Where can I get more information?
Resources are available to learn more about the risks of fever-related illnesses and how you and others can stay safe, but not as much as you used to. Thermal risk tools maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track fever risk and fever diseases have been discontinued this year and are no longer active. The website is still available, but no new information has been added.
Trump administration officials have taken steps to curb what is called climate warnings, changed the language of climate change and stopped maintaining other websites, such as the Climate Maintenance Center, without including it as an environmental topic on the Environmental Protection Agency’s homepage. Error messages are now displayed on tools on CDC pages.
Government efficiency suggests that the end of more than 350 grants that mentioned climate change include dozens that specifically mention heat.
NOAA’s proposed budget for next year will no longer support the National Integrated Thermal Health Information System on Heat and Heat-Related Illness that will link information from NOAA. For now, the comprehensive guide launched during the Biden administration to reduce the rate of fever illness rise in the US is still online.
For Holmes, much of the information that is obscure is factual and not political.
“There’s a combination of temperature and humidity, and the human body can’t stand it,” Holmes said. “Trying to hide the truth won’t help people.”
“I see the Zero’s evidence to fill that information. It’s embarrassing that our government is doing that,” he said. “It’s not partisan, it’s true.”
USA Today’s national correspondent, Dinah Voyles Pulver, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Contact her at dpulver @usatoday.com or @dinahvp.
