Excessive Heat Scorches Eastern Seaboard

After baking in record/near-record temperatures Monday, parts of the eastern U.S. will feel the extreme heat again Tuesday.

SONAR Critical Events and radar: Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 7 a.m. EDT; Extreme heat alerts

Highs well into the 90s to 100 degrees Monday hit places from Georgia to Maine, 10 degrees or more above normal in some cases.

A daily record high of 100 degrees was set at Wallops Island, Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula. Highs reached 100 degrees in Augusta, Georgia, as well as Norfolk, Virginia where this was only two degrees shy of tying the record. Many other official National Weather Service (NWS) reporting sites came within three degrees of tying or breaking record high temperatures for July 20, including Wilmington, North Carolina; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Georgetown, Delaware; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York City's JFK Airport (ICAO code : JFK); Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Portland, Maine

Not as many areas will be under the gun Tuesday. From Philadelphia, southern New Jersey and New York City to New England the air will dry out a bit, reducing humidity levels.

But readings will peak well into the 90s again from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic, where it will remain very humid, too. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued heat advisories from Florence, South Carolina to near Washington, D.C., where the heat index will range from 100 to 109 degrees. This is what it will feel like due to the combination of the heat and humidity.

This includes, but is not limited to Charlotte, New Bern and Wilmington, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Virginia; Maryland and Virginia portions of the Delmarva Peninsula; southern suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Along the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina, from Fayetteville to Rocky Mount, the index could spike at 110 or slightly higher. So, the NWS has issued an excessive heat warning for these areas.

The oppressive conditions can put extra stress on drivers and their trucks. So drivers should spend the least amount of time as possible outside of their trucks, and make sure their trucks are in tip-top shape. The extreme outdoor heat can also put extra stress on temperature-sensitive freight in reefers, which are climate-controlled trailers. Drivers may have to make adjustments to make sure loads like beverages and produce don't become damaged.

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