More than 100 million under heat advisories as temperatures rise nationwide
More than 100 million people remain under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings Thursday as temperatures across the country hit triple digits.
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center tweeted that 60 daily high temperature records have been tied or broken, and additional records will likely be set next week.
The Washington Post reported that about 60 million people in at least 16 states will experience high temperatures at or above 100 degrees, and a half dozen other states could reach the upper 90s.
The NWS website’s map displaying warnings, watches and advisories shows advisories in place in states like New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas and excessive heat warnings in place in states like Mississippi, Arizona and Nevada.
The NWS said on Thursday that dangerous heat is continuing to hit the southwestern, south-central and eastern United States, and above-normal temperatures will remain for much of the country through the end of the week.
Temperatures will surpass 110 degrees in the southwest and only drop into the 80s at night, and the heat indexes in the southern plains to the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys will top 100 degrees for the next couple days.
The most recent heat wave comes after above average heat and dryness dominated June in much of the country. Last month was the 15th warmest June in 128 years and tied for the 12th driest on record.
The NWS warned that children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses are the most vulnerable to heat exposure, and they should take precautions as the heat continues.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found in May that extreme heat events are increasing as a result of climate change and are associated with higher death rates among U.S. adults.
Source: TEST FEED1
