  We study the metastability of the superheated Meissner state in type II
superconductors with k >> 1 beyond Ginzburg-Landau theory, which is applicable
only in the vicinity of the critical temperature. Within Eilenberger's
semiclassical approximation, we use the local electrodynamic response of the
superconductor to derive a generalized thermodynamic potential valid at any
temperature. The stability analysis of this functional yields the temperature
dependence of the superheating field. Finally, we comment on the implications
of our results for superconducting cavities in particle accelerators.
