Heat advisories and warnings issued for Southeast and Midwest as temperatures and humidity soars

It's always hot in the summer in the U.S. Southeast, but even by the standards of Florida and the Carolinas, the steamy heat wave on tap for the region Saturday into the coming week is a little extreme.

The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for a large swath of the East Coast from central Florida to Virginia through much of the weekend. Highs in the upper 90s F (mid 30s C) were forecast for central Florida, with heat indexes reaching 105 degrees F to 110 degrees F (40.6 C to 43 C). The outlook was similar up through Georgia and the Carolinas into Virginia.

Extreme heat warnings were out for much of eastern North Carolina, as far inland as Raleigh, and extending into a corner of South Carolina, including Myrtle Beach. Forecasters warned of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures approaching or exceeding 100 F (38 C) in some areas on Sunday and heat indexes up to 115 F through Sunday evening.

“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. the weather service advised. "Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Stay cool, stay hydrated, stay informed.”

The weather service said several major metropolitan areas in the Southeast — including Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina, Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia — were expected to face an extreme heat risk for several days, with minimal overnight relief. It said over 30 million people would likely be affected at the peak of the heat wave through midweek.

A hot, humid weekend was also in store for the Midwest. Extreme heat watches were out for eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and southern Minnesota. Heat indexes were expected to reach 96 F (36 C) on Saturday and go even higher on Sunday in Minnesota.

And an extreme heat warning was out for the St. Louis, Missouri, area through Tuesday evening, with highs around 99 F (37 C) and heat indexes around 110 F forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

Parts of Iowa were hit by storms Saturday morning that dumped between 2 and 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain in some areas and triggered flash flood warnings.

People kayak along the Stones River, Friday during a heat advisory, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person kayaks along the Stones River during a heat advisory, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People kayak along the Stones River during a heat advisory as a Great Blue Herron flies overhead Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person walks through a machine that mists to cool off after taking a break from running on a hot day, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Marqui Scruggs takes a drink after playing basketball during a heat advisory Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans fans cover their heads in the heat during "Back Together Weekend" at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A Tennessee Titans fan uses a fan to keep cool while watching practice during "Back Together Weekend" at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People kayak along the Stones River, Friday during a heat advisory, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person kayaks along the Stones River during a heat advisory, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People kayak along the Stones River during a heat advisory as a Great Blue Herron flies overhead Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person walks through a machine that mists to cool off after taking a break from running on a hot day, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Marqui Scruggs takes a drink after playing basketball during a heat advisory Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A Tennessee Titans fan uses a fan to keep cool while watching practice during "Back Together Weekend" at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans fans cover their heads in the heat during "Back Together Weekend" at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A Tennessee Titans fan uses a fan to keep cool while watching practice during "Back Together Weekend" at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People kayak along the Stones River, Friday during a heat advisory, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person kayaks along the Stones River during a heat advisory, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People kayak along the Stones River during a heat advisory as a Great Blue Herron flies overhead Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A person walks through a machine that mists to cool off after taking a break from running on a hot day, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Marqui Scruggs takes a drink after playing basketball during a heat advisory Friday, July 25, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Two former attorneys and an aide who all worked on President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign were scheduled to appear Monday for a preliminary hearing in Wisconsin on felony forgery charges related to a fake elector scheme.

The Wisconsin case is moving forward even as others in the battleground states of Michigan and Georgia have faltered. A special prosecutor last year dropped a federal case alleging Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Another case in Nevada is still alive.

The hearing comes a week after Trump attorney Jim Troupis, one of the three who were charged, tried unsuccessfully to get the judge to step down in the case and have it moved to another county. Troupis, who served one year as a judge in the same county where he was charged, also alleged that all of the judges in Dane County are biased against him and he can’t get a fair trial.

Here's the latest:

The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip congressional House seats will go to court Monday as a panel of federal judges considers whether the district boundaries approved by voters last month can be used in elections.

The hearing in Los Angeles sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Trump administration and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s been eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The lawsuit asks a three-judge panel to grant a temporary restraining order by Dec. 19 — the date candidates can take the first official steps to run in the 2026 election.

Voters approved California’s new U.S. House map in November through Proposition 50. It’s designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm elections next year. It was Newsom’s response to a Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump.

▶ Read more about California’s redistricting effort

Even though Republican Brian Jack is only a first-term congressman, he has become a regular in the Oval Office these days. As the top recruiter for his party’s House campaign team, the Georgia native is often reviewing polling and biographies of potential candidates with Trump.

Lauren Underwood, an Illinois congresswoman who does similar work for Democrats, has no such West Wing invitation. She is at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue working the phones to identify and counsel candidates she hopes can erase Republicans’ slim House majority in November’s midterm elections.

Although they have little in common, both lawmakers were forged by the lessons of 2018, when Democrats flipped dozens of Republican-held seats to turn the rest of Trump’s first term into a political crucible. Underwood won her race that year, and Jack became responsible for dealing with the fallout when he became White House political director a few months later.

Underwood wants a repeat in 2026, and Jack is trying to stand in her way.

▶ Read more about Underwood and Jack

The Arizona Democrat is emerging as a crucial surrogate for a party desperately seeking to win back the Latino support that slipped in 2024 with the election of President Trump. His fall travels have included trips to New Jersey, Virginia and Florida, where he campaigned for Democrats who went on to win their elections. Strategists say Gallego is flexing his muscle as a rising star for the party while also laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run despite not being a household name like California Gov. Gavin Newsom or U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

It’s a role Gallego is expected to continue next year, when Democrats hope to break Republicans’ hold on Congress and counter Trump’s agenda.

“Ruben Gallego is going to be our not-so-secret, secret weapon,” said Maria Cardona, a longtime Democratic operative and member of the Democratic National Committee.

Gallego is among the Democrats named as possible 2028 contenders who had the busiest travel calendar in 2025. He stumped for Democratic female candidates in New Jersey’s and Virginia’s gubernatorial races and Miami’s mayoral race.

▶ Read more about Gallego

Trump said Saturday that “there will be very serious retaliation” after two U.S. service members and one American civilian were killed in an attack in Syria that the United States blames on the Islamic State group.

“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” he said in a social media post.

The American president told reporters at the White House that Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was “devastated by what happened” and stressed that Syria was fighting alongside U.S. troops. Trump, in his post, said al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”

U.S. Central Command said three service members were also wounded in the ambush Saturday by a lone IS member in central Syria. Trump said the three “seem to be doing pretty well.” The U.S. military said the gunman was killed in the attack. Syrian officials said the attack wounded members of Syria’s security forces as well.

▶ Read more about the attack

Two former attorneys and an aide who all worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign were scheduled to appear Monday for a preliminary hearing in Wisconsin on felony forgery charges related to a fake elector scheme.

The hearing on Monday comes a week after Trump attorney Jim Troupis, one of the three who were charged, tried unsuccessfully to get the judge to step down in the case and have it moved to another county. Troupis, who was joined by the other two defendants in his motion, alleged that the judge did not write a previous order issued in August declining to dismiss the case. Instead, he accused the father of the judge’s law clerk, who was a retired judge, of actually writing the opinion.

Troupis, who served one year as a judge in the same county where he was charged, also alleged that all of the judges in Dane County are biased against him and he can’t get a fair trial.

▶ Read more about the hearing

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, after attending the Army-Navy game. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Washington, en route to Baltimore to attend the Army-Navy football game. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)