US hot weather: America to bake in 100F heat as south faces 'flash drought'

Unbearable temperatures and lack of rain have forced the Mississippi River into a near-record drought and left southern states and the upper Midwest parched.

Hot weather will continue across the region through the coming days sparking warnings to expect little relief from an ‘exceptional drought’.

The Weather Channel’s Jonathan Erdman said: “Over the summer, drought rapidly developed and worsened over much of the Mississippi Valley, from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Louisiana and Mississippi.

“An exceptional flash drought has developed and spread through parts of the South.

“For the second year in a row, stretches of the Mississippi River have sunk to near record low levels from near the confluence of the Ohio River to Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.”

Although some rain is forecast this week, it will do little to ease the drought which has been worsened by the hottest and driest summer on record in Louisiana.

Thunderstorms will bring heavy downpours to the region, Mr Erdman said, although it may be the end of the year before the drought breaks.

Temperatures this week will soar across Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and surrounding states.

Thermometers could reach 100F further south, and into the high 80Fs around the periphery of the heat dome.

Jim Dale, US weather correspondent and senior meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “The Texas heat ridge is going to remain in place for most of the week, and is showing no signs of moving anywhere soon.

“For this part of the country, people may by now be getting sick of the hot weather.”

The heat may die down later this month, before returning through the start of October, he warned.

He said: “I expect a little bit of relief into October when the heat will die down a bit, but then it is likely to return in a couple of weeks.

“This will come in the form of another pulse of heat as this heat dome starts to grow very long in the tooth.”

Eastern regions continue to hunker down for a barrage of assaults as yet another Atlantic storm forms in the tailwind of Philippe.

Tropical Storm Philippe is expected to weaken in the coming days and take a northerly turn away from the States.

However, all eyes are on a new disturbance off the coast of Africa ­­– ‘Invest 91L’–which is 90-per cent likely to become a full-scale storm.

A spokesman for the National Hurricane Centre (NOAA) said: “Showers and thunderstorms are showing signs of organisation in association with a broad area of low pressure located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

“Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for development, and a tropical depression is expected to form in the next couple of days while the system moves west-north-westwards across the central tropical Atlantic.”

Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis said: “Atlantic hurricane season is not over yet this season ends November 30 and we've already had 16 name storms and very likely that we'll see one more.

“We continue to track the tropics, and we have tropical storm Philippe and invest 91 L.”