2023-09-01 19:47:00
(CNN) — Labor Day weekend may mark the unofficial end of the summer for many, but Mother Nature didn’t get the memo this year.
Nearly 100 temperature records are possible this holiday weekend, as parts of the central and eastern United States scorch in heat that feels more like July than early September.
As temperatures rise on land, strong surf and heightened risk of rip currents They can make beach plans dangerous for a large swath of the Atlantic coast, while increased moisture could cause storm surge in parts of the West and increase the risk of flash flooding.
temperatures soar
Temperatures 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal levels for September could break or match dozens of records as the heat picks up over Labor Day weekend and into Tuesday.
Highs on Saturday will rise to between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit across most of the Plains and upper Midwest. This will include cities like Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
By Sunday, sweltering heat will spread across much of the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley and even parts of the mid-Atlantic. Minneapolis is forecast to hit a scorching 37°C on Sunday, breaking a record high temperature for that date that has stood for nearly 100 years.
On Labor Day Monday, conditions will more closely resemble those of July in nearly two-thirds of the United States.
Philadelphia is forecast to be hotter than Miami and Orlando on Monday, with temperatures there likely rising more than 10°F above normal.
In the afternoon heat, temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit will stretch from the Plains to the East Coast and challenge records in major metropolitan areas like Chicago, Washington, and Philadelphia.
The high temperature in New York City could exceed 32°C on Monday, something the city didn’t hit during August and has only hit eight times this summer. That count could increase on both Monday and Tuesday.
Temperatures in most of the Southeast will be around normal, bringing some relief to a region that suffered record heat in August. Many cities along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, including Houston, New Orleans and Tampa, posted their hottest August ever, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Increased risk of rip currents from tropical systems
A handful of tropical systems hundreds of kilometers away churn up the Atlantic Ocean and can pose a danger to people heading for the beach.
Rip currents can be fatal to even the strongest swimmers. In June, rip currents charged 11 lives in less than two weeks in Florida and Alabama.
The powerful Hurricane Franklin and Post-Tropical Cyclone Idalia (the latter of which generates strong winds despite having lost its tropical status) have generated rough seas that extend hundreds of kilometers from the center of each storm.
These rough seas can be dangerous for any boater along the Atlantic coast and will keep the risk of dangerous rip currents high.
Rip current watches are in effect through Saturday night from South Carolina to southern Florida. The risk of rip currents is also expected to remain elevated over the northernmost holiday weekend in parts of New Jersey and New York.
Flash Flood Risk in the West
An increase in monsoonal moisture will produce stormy conditions from the Southwest to the Rocky Mountains this weekend and increase the risk of flash flooding.
According to the Weather Prediction Center, a Level 2 of 4 risk of excessive rainfall is in effect for parts of the inland West on Saturday and Sunday.
Enough rain could occur on Saturday to cause flash flooding in parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The threat will move north on Sunday to include parts of Idaho and Wyoming in addition to Utah.
Wet weather will keep parts of the Northwest and California wet and cooler than average through the weekend, but the risk of flooding will be relatively low.
The showers may begin Saturday in Seattle and Portland and continue through Monday. Temperatures in these cities will struggle to rise on Sunday and Monday, reaching only the upper 15°C in Seattle and the low 21°C in Portland, nearly 10°F below normal for early September.
Places like Los Angeles and San Francisco may have some of the best weather in the country for Labor Day weekend. Both cities will start the holiday weekend with some showers, but will end dry, sunny and seasonal on Monday.
CNN’s Robert Shackelford contributed to this report.
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