US heatwave: As enormous heat dome shifts eastward, stifling heat could bring over 100 high temperature records
In the coming week, there are over 100 high temperature records that could be broken, mainly across the southern and eastern regions of the US.
This past weekend saw several new daily record high temperatures, including in New Orleans, which clocked a high of 97 degrees, and in Mobile, Alabama, which surpassed its 1913 record of 100 degrees when it inched up to 101 degrees on Saturday.
As of early Monday morning, more than nine million people were under heat alerts across eight states in the northern and central US, including Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Kansas.
But this number is expected to increase throughout the week as the heat continues to build across the northern Plains, Midwest and Gulf Coast on Monday, potentially bringing triple-digit temperature records as it progresses into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.
Many communities battling the heat may not get much relief at night, either, as there are an additional 100 record high overnight low temperatures forecast to be broken throughout the week.
Heat-related illness is a major concern
Extremely high temperatures can lead to common heat-related conditions such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion, which occur when the body is unable to properly cool itself. It can also impose significant strain on the heart and make breathing more difficult.
In the 1960s, Americans saw an average of two heatwaves a year, but by the 2010s, the average increased to six per year, according to the EPA.
CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Jen Christensen and Rachel Ramirez contributed to this report.
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