100° September Heat Bakes the Southeast U.S.

It may have been September 18th, but that did not matter at all across the South and Southeast. Take a look at some of these record high temperatures established on Wednesday.

The temperature soared way above the averages for this time of the year, but also beat the daily high temperature records by several degrees! Now that’s impressive.

The heat Wednesday extended the stretch of very warm weather that has been present in the South and Southeast U.S. since August 1. Temperatures have consistently reached to 5 to 10 degrees above the average. This is about to change because the heat bubble is about to get a little smaller.

There are three things helping to burst this heat bubble just a tad. One is Imelda, the tropical cyclone bringing clouds and rain to portions of Texas and Louisiana. This extra moisture will help cool some areas. Secondly, a backdoor cold front has eased southwest into Georgia and Alabama, bringing slightly cooler and drier air. Finally, low pressure near Montana and Wyoming will help break the high pressure ridge down just a little bit.

In general however, the summer weather will likely last a little longer. Much of the country will favor warmer-than-average temperatures into late September, meaning fall will have to wait just a little longer.

In the meantime, keep cool and hydrated if you’re practicing outdoor fall sports in the hot afternoon hours. Especially if you’re attending outdoor sporting events, make sure to consciously drink water!