As the clock ticks down to the start of school for many students and teachers across the southern United States, heat risks will linger for much of the nation as above-normal summertime temperatures continue.
Overall, above-normal temperatures are forecast for much of the United States through mid-August, according to long-range predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service.
A heat wave on Aug. 1 and 2 over the Southwest is expected to keep temperatures in the 110- to 120-degree range, then expand northward through Colorado and Utah into Montana, where temperatures will range into the 100s, according to the weather service's Weather Prediction Center.