Half of Americans should expect over 90-degree weather this weekend

Summer has not even started, but almost 60% of Americans will experience 90-degree heat this Memorial Day weekend, breaking many daily records.

"Pretty much every day from Friday to Sunday, we're looking at rivaling daily record temperatures, running 15 to 20 degrees above May normals," said Aaron Swiddett, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The widespread heat will affect almost 200 million across the nation, with many states challenging their daily records and others seeing their first triple-digits of the year. From Thursday to Sunday, around 20 states will even see record-high temperatures of 130 degrees, including Texas and the Carolinas. 

Several cities, including Cleveland, Nashville, Tennessee, Columbia, South Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, will see temperatures between 90 and 95, the highest since their 1930s record. 

The high temperatures will also reach the Northeast, with over 90-degree temperatures in New York City and Philadelphia. Record highs are also expected in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

"This is definitely pretty early for this type of heat," Swiddett told CNN. "We would normally see these temperatures in the dead of summer."

But not all is bad news. “Fortunately, the heat will not last long as a cold front will usher in normal to below-normal temperatures on Sunday,” posted the NWS Weather Prediction Center on Twitter. 

It will truly feel like summer ☀️🌡️ in the Northeast this weekend as numerous locations are forecast to reach 90F+ for the first time this season. Fortunately, the heat will not last long as a cold front will usher in normal to below-normal temperatures on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/DtjhospEgW

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) May 17, 2022

Authorities are cautioning people to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities this weekend. 

“Heat is a very sneaky killer," said Chesnea Skeen, a meteorlogist at the weather service in Sterling, Virginia. "A lot of the public don't see it as a huge threat but it's actually one of the top killers, as extreme weather goes. With it being an early-season heat event, take it seriously, stay hydrated and stay out of the sun."