Roughly 80 million people across the central United States faced heat advisories Saturday as a massive heat dome trapped dangerously hot air from Dallas to North Dakota, with forecasters warning the oppressive conditions will persist into next week. Overnight lows won't drop enough to give people a chance to recover, allowing heat stress to build as the extreme weather lingers.
The sweltering midsummer weather affects a vast stretch of the country, from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast and reaching up into the Midwest and Great Plains. Temperatures are expected to run 10 F to 15 F above normal, with some records around Denver potentially broken. "It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week," said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Workers Bear the Brunt
For outdoor workers, the heat dome creates brutal working conditions. In Las Vegas, where temperatures reached around 114 F on Saturday, HVAC repair technician Kristian "Flaco" Santos spent hours outside fixing air conditioning units. His job involves climbing onto homeowners' roofs or in their attics, where temperatures can be 15 degrees warmer.
"It is brutal," Santos said. "I'm not Superman, but I do, I do take care of myself when I'm in the heat." He wears long-sleeve shirts and hoodies to protect himself from the sun, drinks lots of water with electrolytes to stay hydrated and takes small breaks to cool down. "You want to get home to your family safe," Santos said, encouraging people who work outside to do the same.
Extreme Warnings Across the Region
Places under a National Weather Service extreme heat warning included western Nebraska, where temperatures Saturday and Sunday were forecast to reach 108 F. The region's heat was forecast to continue through the week, with temperatures topping 100 F even in normally moderate areas of Montana and Wyoming. Las Vegas was also expected to see near record-breaking highs.
At the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, Nebraska, there were fewer visitors than usual for this time of year. Museum employee Hannah Lovelace noted the irony of selling fur hats during extreme heat. "I'm sure no one would be willing to wear it on a day like this," she said, referring to the fur hats. Loose-fitting, period-correct fabric shirts, on the other hand, remained popular sellers among folks headed to historical frontier reenactments called rendezvous.
Climate Crisis Connection
This is the latest miserable stretch of weather during a summer that's already had a lot of it. The eastern U.S. endured an unbearably hot early July that forced communities to cancel Independence Day celebrations and disrupted the country's 250th anniversary. Another heat wave in mid-July hit the Southwest and Great Plains. It's not just the United States: a June heat wave devastated Europe, with France recording at least 5,700 more deaths than usual.
The continental U.S. endured the second-hottest first half of the year on record in 2026, according to average temperature tracking by the National Centers for Environmental Information. June itself was the 18th warmest.
"We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now," said Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications nonprofit. "That is more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures. These are all part and parcel of the climate story."
Rising carbon dioxide levels from burning fossil fuels makes it more likely that hotter weather becomes more frequent and extreme, Pershing explained.
Public Protections Mobilized
Authorities warned that this heat dome will be dangerous. Children and older adults, along with people with medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious conditions including heat stroke. The basics are important: seek out air conditioning or a cooling center, and make sure to drink enough water and limit time under the direct sun.
On Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans for the Brickyard 400 will be offered water refill stations and places to get cool, and packed coolers will be allowed. In Denver, recreation centers will set aside areas for people to get out of the heat and in front of air conditioning.
The weather will shift somewhat through the week, with the worst pockets of heat becoming particularly severe across Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast by Wednesday. There might be some relief in the central U.S. toward next weekend, but even that might be temporary, Oravec said. Some areas will be spared. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast should avoid the extreme heat, as will much of the Pacific Northwest.
Why This Matters:
This heat dome exposes millions of Americans to dangerous conditions that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and outdoor workers who can't simply stay inside. The fact that overnight temperatures won't drop enough for recovery means heat stress accumulates, putting children, older adults, and people with medical conditions at heightened risk of heat stroke and death. The European heat wave's death toll—at least 5,700 excess deaths in France alone—shows what's at stake when extreme heat persists. Climate scientists' warnings from the 1990s are now our lived reality, with 2026 recording the second-hottest first half of any year on record. Without stronger action to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels, these extreme heat events will only become more frequent and severe, threatening public health and making outdoor work increasingly hazardous for millions of Americans.