Satellite View of the Eastern US Heat Wave
July 05, 2002
Provided by: NOAA
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster
The above NOAA-8 satellite image was taken on Wednesday, July 3, and shows a space-borne view of the heat wave that settled in over the eastern US earlier this week. A high pressure system , the Bermuda High, anchored over the western Atlantic Ocean, was responsible for the oppressive conditions across the eastern seaboard. Heat, haze and humidity (the 3 h's) combined to make life miserable for anyone spending a lot of time outside. Though on this image a few cumulonimbus clouds have popped up over the Middle Atlantic states, much of the northeast is relatively cloud free, but the air is anything but clear. With low wind speeds, temperatures in the 90s and dew points in the 70s, poor air quality resulted - visibilities were less than 5 miles (8 km). In addition, with heat indexes over 100 throughout the east, high heat advisories were in effect. A cold front, seen here over the Great Lakes, offers the prospect of some relief as is it slowly pushes southeastward. Note the cloud deck over Texas, which is the remnant of a system that brought over 13 inches (330 mm) of rain, causing deadly flooding, to parts of the Lone Star State.
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