Record Heat in Plains to Spread Into Southwest as Midwest, East Keep Their Cool This Week

A rather remarkable weather pattern for late July is bringing an enhanced temperature duopoly of relative cool to parts of the Midwest and East while record heat continues to bake the southern Plains, then spreads into the Southwest and Southern California.

Jet streams typically remain well outside of the subtropics during the summer months due to a lack of cold air in Canada, but a lobe has dipped all the way into the Southeast. This is keeping temperatures relatively comfortable for late July in parts of the Midwest and East.

Of course, when the weather teeter-totter goes down on one coast, it typically swings up on the other.

In this case, a dome of high pressure has been contributing to record heat in southern Plains, and that heat will move toward the Southwest early this week.

What all of this means in terms of temperatures can be found in the next two sections: the southern record heat followed by the cooler weather in the East and Midwest.

(MORE: This is Not What a Late-July Weather Pattern Looks Like in the Eastern States)

Record Heat Bears Down

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport topped a daily record high for the fourth day in a row Sunday after soaring to 109 degrees. Saturday also saw the mercury rise to 109 degrees, which was the warmest temperature in the metroplex since 2011.

Waco, Texas, has either tied or broken daily record highs for six consecutive days through Sunday. The hottest days were Friday and Sunday when the temperature reached 109 degrees.

Though not a record, Houston Intercontinental Airport recorded its first 100-degree high of the year Sunday.

Shreveport, Louisiana, saw temperatures climb to 108 degrees Sunday afternoon, a daily record high for the date and just 2 degrees shy of the all-time record in the city.

Oklahoma City narrowly missed tying its all-time July record-high temperature of 110 degrees on Friday, topping out at 109 degrees.

Numerous other cities have either broken or tied daily records in the southern Plains over the past few days, as well.

Some daily record highs that are in jeopardy in the South on Monday include (record to beat in parentheses): Austin, Texas (108 degrees), Midland, Texas (107), El Paso, Texas (105), Dallas (104) and Houston (102).

But there is some relief on the horizon.

Early this week, the aforementioned jet stream trough should be strong enough to shove the ridge of high pressure westward.

Temperatures will finally cool back toward average, which is in the 90s in the southern Plains, by Monday in Oklahoma, then Tuesday in Texas.

With the heat dome moving westward, near-record warmth will develop during the first half of this week in the Southwest, including Southern California.

Here are some of the records to beat (record to beat in parentheses):

• Monday: Needles, California (118 degrees), Phoenix (114) and Tucson, Arizona (108)
• Tuesday: Needles, California (122 degrees), Phoenix (117), Tucson, Arizona (110) and Santa Clarita, California (103)

(MORE: 4 Summer Weather Dangers To Watch Out For)

Where It Will Stay Cool

In the Midwest and East, temperatures will remain near or below average throughout much of this week.

The aforementioned jet stream dip in the East is responsible for this temperature pattern right now. By midweek, another southward plunge of the jet stream will arrive in the Midwest, dropping temperatures farther below average.

Highs in the 70s and lower 80s will be common throughout the nation's northern tier in the week ahead.

Unfortunately, the cooler air does come at the cost of sunshine.

Rather than pop-up thunderstorms, a larger shield of clouds and showers is expected across much of the East as the trough feeds off the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

(MORE: More Flash Flooding Possible in the East as Tropical Moisture Fuels Heavy Rainfall)