Heatwave scorches US East Coast as dangerous temperatures expand to West
- Millions swelter as temperatures soar across the United States, driven by climate change
More than 100 million people across the United States were under heat warnings on Sunday, with cities on the East Coast bracing for record-breaking temperatures as the heat dome causing the dangerous conditions expands to the West Coast.
Baltimore and Philadelphia are forecast to touch records near 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, while temperatures rise in states such as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The extreme heat will then shift to Nebraska and Kansas on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Officials are warning of dangerous conditions in the Philadelphia region where high humidity could drive heat indices above 41 degrees, making it feel even hotter than the actual temperature.
“It likely means we’ll be seeing periodic periods of excessive heat across a decent part of the country into July,” NWS meteorologist Marc Chenard said. “Not continuous at any one spot, but the overall pattern will continue to favour these above normal temperatures.”
Temperatures have cooled in the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and New England regions, but excessive heat in the 90s F continues to stretch from Virginia to New York.