RVA Early Summer Heat Wave (6/23 to 6/26)

Record high temperatures likely for much of the Richmond metro area as summer begins

Will Weaver
June 20, 2025

Today is the first day of astronomical summer, but it’s going to feel like the middle of summer next week in much of the eastern U.S. as a “heat dome” ridge builds in. This ridge of high pressure will basically “trap” very warm, tropical air in the region, which will lead to extremely dangerous temperatures.

06Z GFS geopotential height anomaly animation (courtesy Tropical Tidbits); the deep red area in the eastern United States represents abnormally high heights, which are associated with very hot temperatures

For the Richmond area, the hot weather will begin on Sunday after a brief reprieve today and tomorrow. Temperatures will soar to near 100°F on Sunday, and high temperatures will be near or over 100°F between Monday and Thursday, when the heat dome is forecast to finally start breaking down, although it will remain very hot and humid through the end of the week.

06Z GFS temperature map for 1800 UTC (2:00pm) on Tuesday 6/24

Richmond will be flirting with record high temperatures for much of the week. Here’s a list of forecast highs and records for most of next week:

Day	Forecast High	Record High (year)
Sunday 6/22	98°	101° (1933)
Monday 6/23	100°	101° (1988)
Tuesday 6/24	102°	102° (2010)
Wednesday 6/25	100°	100° (1952)
Thursday 6/26	100°	104° (1952)*
Friday 6/27	96°	102° (2010)

*All-time record high for the month of June

In addition, humidity will be quite high throughout the week, which will lead to high heat index values. I would not be shocked to see heat advisories issued during the week as heat index values will likely exceed 105°. On the bright side, there could be isolated showers and thunderstorms, particularly later in the week, which could provide a brief cooldown. Still, it’s very important to stay cool, and stay hydrated if you go outdoors. It doesn’t take much to start developing symptoms of heat-related illness, and hydration is key!