Extreme heat update

Summary

We are currently in the middle of an intense heat wave due to an historic mid-level ridge on top of us. For the past few days, the 500-mb height has been at or above 600 dm (6000 meters) and temperatures have been at or above record levels for many locations. Currently temperatures are over 100F everywhere in the state except the far eastern corner where temperatures are hanging in the 90's and dewpoints are around 80 as they are to the east in Iowa. Heat indices range from the 90's where dewpoints are lower in western Nebraska to 120 at the site between Mead and Memphis in southeastern Saunders County.

Temperatures are expected to be very hot again tomorrow over the whole state, though perhaps a tad more tolerable on the humidity in the east. The combination of very high temperatures, high humidity, sunny skies, and lighter winds has led to brutal conditions for humans and animals alike. Unfortunately, it has already led to cattle deaths and there may be more before the heat wave is over. The Cattle Comfort Index is unfortunately not available as a live product but I was able to obtain some max values over the past few days. Here are the top 5 values:

Cook 4SW (Johnson County) 120F

Firth 3N (Lancaster County) 118F

Rulo 5SW (Richardson County) 117F

Oakland 4W (Burt County) 117F

York 2W (York County) 117F

Several other sites had CCI values between 113-116, which were also in the "extreme danger" category. Will provide another update later this week at the end of the heat wave to see what the most extreme values have been throughout this current heat wave.