ROANOKE, Va. – Heat in the summer is common in southwest and central Virginia. Across other parts of the country, the combination of heat and humidity has been brutal and record-breaking.
Look at places like Raleigh, where the heat index climbed to 112°F Monday. Parts of Florida saw their first-ever ‘Excessive Heat Warnings’ last week.
Other records are being broken in the Pacific Northwest, where heat alerts continue Tuesday.
This is a part of the country that’s more accustomed to temperatures that don’t challenge the 100°F mark.
In fact, less than one-third of households in Seattle have central air conditioning. Compare that to less than half of households in Portland, Oregon but roughly 90% of households in Virginia.
This data comes from the most recent American Housing Survey.
The large area of high pressure that’s causing the heat wave in the Western U.S. through mid-week will grow and expand.
As it does so, a sliver of that heat makes it into southwest and central Virginia.
Hot and dry weather is expected for the upcoming weekend, with high temperatures reaching into the 90s almost area-wide by Sunday.
For updates on the weekend forecast and more, be sure to download our free weather app here.