Hotter in Chicago than Phoenix? Talk about a bizarro summer.

As the Valley experiences a stretch of barely-normal summer temperatures — the high in Phoenix was 97 degrees on July 20 — more than 130 million people across the central and eastern U.S. are sweating like it’s, well, Phoenix. Much of the East is stuck under a high-pressure system that is bringing 100-degree temperatures through much of the country.

Phoenix posted a high temperature of 104 degrees on July 23, while places like Memphis had a heat index — a measure of what temperature feels like with humidity — over 110 degrees. Houston tied Phoenix, factoring in the heat index, at 104. In Chicago, the heat index was 103 degrees on July 24 and in Cleveland, it was 101 degrees.

The normal temperature in Phoenix for late July is 106 degrees, and while temperatures are expected to creep back up into the 105- to 107-degree range by Sunday, July 27, meteorologists say that’s more average than alarming.

“The past couple of summers we’ve had some pretty significant heat,” said Isaac Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “Last year this time, we were looking at highs generally at or above 110 degrees throughout much of the month.”

On July 24 last year, Phoenix reached 114 degrees.

Monsoon showers typically offset high temperatures, but they have been nearly nonexistent in Phoenix. So far this monsoon, Sky Harbor has recorded just 0.16 inches of rain, which is well below average and significantly lower than the rest of the state.

Elsewhere in Arizona, Flagstaff has logged 2.08 inches of rain so far in July, and Tucson isn’t far behind at 1.87 inches.

The east swelters while Phoenix gets a reprieve

While Phoenix has enjoyed relatively tame temperatures for much of July, large swaths of the country are scorching.

A heat wave that baked the Midwest for days is now spreading east, with record highs possible in cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. on July 24 and 25.

Over 130 million Americans were under a heat warning, watch or advisory as of July 24. The National Weather Service warned that heat indices — which account for humidity — could reach between 100 and 105 degrees from the Southern Plains through the Northeast, with temperatures up to 110 degrees in some areas.

A high-pressure system, sometimes referred to as a “heat dome,” is trapping heat across the eastern half of the country.

“The ridge of high pressure that’s typically over us has shifted east,” Smith said. “We’ve been under the influence of some cooler weather due to low-pressure systems across the west. That’s been helping keep us cooler while that ridge of high pressure is further east.”

Is the ‘nonsoon’ here to stay?

Monsoon season officially runs through September, and weather patterns can shift quickly. But as July winds down, Phoenix is off to a slow start.

Meteorologists blame a stubborn weather pattern that has kept Phoenix on the edge of monsoon activity. While moisture has surged into Arizona at times, the region hasn’t had a sustained southeast flow to ignite widespread storms.

But cloud cover from these systems has helped keep Phoenix cooler than normal.

“We have not seen the typical heat or monsoon pattern setup,” said Tom Frieders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “It’s been kind of a hybrid case, where we’re getting some clouds from southern Arizona monsoon activity, but not really storms developing over Phoenix.”

This week’s dust storm is a reminder that the monsoon is active, just not over all of metro Phoenix. It kicked up blowing dust and reduced visibility in some neighborhoods, but didn’t bring the rain many hoped for.

“We still have a couple of months left,” Frieders said. “So there’s still potential for monsoon activity to ramp up, but it hasn’t happened yet.”

Phoenix forecast: warming up, but staying dry

As high pressure begins to rebuild over the West, Phoenix will warm up again, but there’s still little sign of meaningful monsoon rain on the horizon.

Temperatures are expected to rise into the 110s by early August, which is near or slightly above seasonal norms for the Valley.

“As we head into next week, we’re going to see that ridge start to shift back westward again, so we’re going to be looking at temperatures climbing across the area,” Smith said.

But the moisture needed to trigger storms is still missing.

“We’re going to be looking at dry conditions persisting through the rest of this week and likely into early next week,” Smith said.

Without that signature southeast flow that drives moisture into central Arizona, rain chances remain slim. The heat may be returning to Phoenix, but so far, the monsoon still isn’t coming with it.

Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix temperatures remain average, but heat wave hits east, midwest