Some cities will see their coolest temperatures of the summer after a brutal heat wave gets knocked down by an incoming cold front. Temperatures will drop first for the Midwest and Northeast but by the weekend relief is coming for the Southeast.
After weeks of scorching the U.S. with dangerously high temperatures, a record-breaking heat dome will break down beginning Thursday, ushering in cooler weather and relief for millions.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a cold front sweeping across the Midwest, plummeting temperatures by 15-20 degrees by Thursday for parts of the Northeast and the central U.S.
A teenager drinks water in the heat in a Brooklyn park as the region experiences another heatwave on July 29, 2025 in New York City. Temperatures are expected to reach into the high 90s with a heat index well above 100 degrees.
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Boston flirted with a 100-degree high on Tuesday but by Friday might not hit 70 degrees. Morning temperatures will be crisp, in the 50s and 60s.
Parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes might see morning lows in the upper 40s.
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The temperature change will be just as dramatic for central parts of the country. By Thursday night, the heat wave will be over for these areas.
Chicago saw triple-digit heat indices on Tuesday, and by Thursday, the Windy City might not reach 80 degrees.
(FOX Weather)
St. Louis is forecast to see a drop into the upper 70s by Thursday, 10 degrees below average for July, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
This cold front will eventually make its way into the Southeast, but the temperature drop won’t be as dramatic.
Children play in the water at a splash pad in West Palm Beach, Florida on July 29, 2025.
On Wednesday, the heat dome is still baking the country. More than 20 temperature records have fallen, some of which were in the Northeast, with 100 degrees recorded at LaGuardia International Airport in New York and in Manchester, New Hampshire.
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In Florida, the extreme heat continues on Wednesday for areas from Central Florida into southeastern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
Cities across the Southeast, including Jacksonville, Orlando, Nashville and Atlanta, have been under extreme heat risk for multiple days.
(FOX Weather)
Heat alerts are likely again through Friday for some of these areas. By Saturday, the cold front will push into southeastern Georgia, ushering in cooler temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s for North and Central Florida by Sunday and Monday.
While 90 degrees isn’t “cool” by any means, the humidity will also be lower, allowing your body to cool more effectively and reducing the overall heat risk.
