Heat Wave Expected to Hit Most of the U.S. — Major Cities Brace for Power Outages

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Summer is here. And longer days and weekends spent poolside means warmer weather — or as is the case this week, dangerously high temperatures. Over the next several days, a heat wave is expected to hit the central and eastern United States, and several of the country’s major cities will be impacted.

New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. are all expected to see their hottest days of summer so far. And as temperatures rise, people turn to their air conditioners for relief, which can lead to power outages. Allan Drury, the spokesperson for the energy company Con Edison, told USA Today on Tuesday that in New York, they’re prepared for “scattered outages” in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

All told, USA Today reports that over 50 million Americans will see some level of heat alert where they live, with temperatures expected to approach 100 degrees over the next several days.

Meteorologists also warn that the temperatures will feel much worse thanks to the heat index. The heat index is what the temperature feels like when air temperature and humidity are combined — and according to BAM Weather Meteorologist Ryan Maue, it will feel like its 108 degrees in Washington D.C. and 109 degrees in Chicago and Detroit. Maue tweeted on Tuesday that “Friday will be suffocating across much of the Eastern U.S. with heat index 100°-110°F from the Plains to Great Lakes and Middle-Atlantic to NYC.”

Friday will be suffocating across much of the Eastern U.S. with heat index 100°-110°F 🌡️from the Plains to Great Lakes and Middle-Atlantic to NYC. 🔥

108° Washington D.C.
109° Chicago
109° Detroit pic.twitter.com/fe5DOLGNhL

— Ryan (@RyanMaue) July 16, 2019

In response to the upcoming heat wave, the National Weather Service has issued excessive heat watches and heat advisories for two-thirds of the country, reminding people that “It is never safe to leave a toddler, disabled person or pet locked in a car, even in the winter. If you have a toddler in your household, lock your cars, even in your own driveway. Kids plays in cars and can get locked in. Already 9 toddlers have died in hot cars in 2019! Cars can heat up quickly when left in the sun.”

A Hurricane Might Hit Louisiana This Weekend — Here's What to Know If You’re Traveling

Storm system Barry began impacting the deep south on Thursday morning, with heavy rains in Louisiana. The state is predicted to receive up to 20 inches of rain in the coming days.

For now, the National Weather Service [NWS] is calling it “Potential Tropical Cyclone Two.” It is expected to officially become a tropical storm by Thursday evening, and potentially develop into Hurricane Barry by Saturday, when it makes landfall.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the Louisiana Coast. More than 4 million people are under flash flood watch from south-central Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle.

“This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said, declaring a state of emergency. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”

NEW: NOAA's GOES16 shows a "sandwich loop" -- a combination of visible and infrared imagery -- of Potential Tropical Cyclone this morning. predicts it will become a Tropical Depression later today.

Courtesy of NOAA

The storm is relatively slow-moving, which means it could linger with relentless rain in Louisiana.

Already, New Orleans received 10 inches of rain on Wednesday, with widespread street flooding.

Telemachus Street in New Orleans is flooded after flash floods struck the area early on July 10, 2019

SETH HERALD/Getty Images

Travelers heading to the southeast this weekend should check with their airlines regarding flight status.

JetBlue will waive change fees for flights to and from Louisiana booked through Saturday, July 13. Travel must be rebooked by July 20.

Alaska Airlines is waiving change fees for flights booked for July 11 and 12 to or from Houston and New Orleans. New travel must be rebooked before July 16.

United passengers with travel booked to the southeast from July 11 through 14 can rebook for flights through July 21. The waiver affects flights to and from Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi; and Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City and Pensacola Florida.

These Photos of Hurricane Irma Showcase the Destruction of the Record-breaking Storm

Though Hurricane Irma has been officially downgraded to a tropical storm, the catastrophic hurricane has left a trail of destruction behind it.

The storm, which pummeled through the Caribbean as a category 5 hurricane before making its way into Florida and continuing on to several other U.S. cities, has been the strongest storm to exist in the Atlantic outside the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (Hurricane Allen was the strongest in these regions), according to a recent study by Colorado State University.

The storm was also the first category 5 hurricane to hit the Atlantic since Matthew in 2016 and the first category 5 in the tropical Atlantic since 1989, the study found, sustaining winds of 185 miles per hour for as long as 37 hours. 

The record-breaking storm left millions of panicked residents having to evacuate or seek shelter as it continued along its path, with those affected now starting to return to their homes. 

Below, we take a look at the destruction the hurricane has left behind in the areas it hit, and the recovery that has begun taking place.