Overview
- Heat advisories remain in effect through Friday for much of Southern New England, where humidity and dew points in the upper 60s to 70s will push heat‑index values close to 100°F and create a real chance of a brief heat wave.
- Scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms are expected from the Great Lakes south through the Southeast, and the strongest storms could produce tropical downpours, gusty winds, and isolated flash flooding with local totals of 1–3 inches.
- Western wildfire smoke is producing hazy skies and intermittent air‑quality degradation across the Sierra/Tahoe region and northern Rockies, prompting health cautions for people with respiratory sensitivity.
- An upper‑level heat dome over the Four Corners is keeping Central Texas unusually hot and dry, creating a localized 'rain desert' and making temperatures feel like 102–106°F in the peak heat of the day.
- Very low humidity and gusty winds in parts of Montana and northern Wyoming raise elevated to critical fire‑weather concerns for the weekend, and forecasters say a gradual pattern shift early next week may bring some relief and increased storm chances to parts of the country.