When will the heat wave end? With millions of Americans under heat warnings and advisories, here's what to expect.

Dylan Stableford
People stand under colorful umbrellas before a Las Vegas sign.
Tourists use umbrellas to block out the sun while waiting to take a photo at the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign earlier this week. (Wade Vandervort/Las Vegas Sun via AP) (AP)

The heat wave that has set temperature records across the Western United States and left dozens of people dead continues to scorch tens of millions of Americans. And forecasters say most of the country won’t be seeing relief anytime soon.

According to the National Weather Service, dangerous and record-breaking heat will continue for much of the West through Saturday, while sizzling temperatures will also begin to build across the Central Plains and Southeast. And dangerously hot and humid conditions will persist in the Northeast through next week.

A digital thermometer reads 123 degrees.
An unofficial thermometer reads 123 degrees in Baker, Calif., on Wednesday. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

More than 50 cities in California and Nevada broke all-time heat records in the last two weeks, according to AccuWeather.

Among them:

  • Palm Springs: 124 degrees (July 5)

  • Las Vegas: 120 degrees (July 7)

  • Redding, Calif.: 119 degrees (July 6)

  • Barstow, Calif.: 118 degrees (July 7)

  • Palmdale, Calif.: 115 degrees (July 6)

And Phoenix set a new daily record earlier this week for the warmest low temperature ever: It never got below 92 degrees.

People under a misting tent.
People use a misting tent in downtown Portland, Ore., on Monday. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP) (AP)

The heat dome that has scorched the Western U.S. is forecast to move east next week, giving those who have faced unrelenting heat at least some relief.

“As the center of the large high-pressure area shifts eastward, the extreme heat will continue to ease in the Pacific Coast states and in many of the Nevada and Arizona deserts,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski wrote in his latest forecast. “Daily temperatures will trend downward, closer to historical averages.

“Following high temperatures close to 90 in Los Angeles at midweek, more typical highs in the low 80s are forecast for Sunday,” he added. “In Sacramento, Calif., high temperatures will trend downward from the 110s on Thursday to the mid-90s by early next week.”

A boy wearing blue floaties cools off in a community swimming pool.
A boy cools off in a community swimming pool in Ebensburg, Pa., on Tuesday. (Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP) (AP)

But while temperatures trend downward out West, they’re expected to rise in the East and mid-Atlantic.

From Wilmington, N.C., to Washington, D.C., the high temperatures will be near 100 degrees. That, combined with the oppressive humidity, will make the temperature feel well over 100.

Weather officials continue to urge people to limit strenuous outdoor activities, drink plenty of fluids, take frequent air-conditioning breaks when possible, check up on relatives and neighbors and not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles.

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