Tony Amponsah, at a flower market in Washington, trying to find some relief from last week’s heat.
An unrelenting heat wave continued to push across the country on Saturday, sending temperatures soaring in many states.
The extreme temperatures have caused roads to buckle, crops to wither and left power companies struggling to meet demand.
At least 36 heat-and-weather-related deaths have been reported since the temperatures first spiked about 10 days ago, according to reports by The Associated Press. The largest number of deaths, 10, was reported in Virginia, where thousands of homes are still without power after last week’s storm.
When people ventured from their homes, they sought comfort where they could. Many headed to beaches and pools. Others just looked for a comfortable spot and a little shade.
Tonya Bowman, 38, sat on bench in Harlem fanning herself on Saturday. “Luckily I did not have to go many places this week,” Ms. Bowman said. “It is hot, really hot.”
Record temperatures have been set this week in dozens of towns and cities, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Washington, according to the National Weather Service. While people in those cities continued to sweat it out, the Northeast braced for temperatures to rise as well. In New York City, the health department warned people to take precautions as the temperature was expected to climb into the triple digits with stifling humidity.
For many, the misery has been compounded by a lack of electricity; millions of customers lost power last weekend after a series of violent storms swept across nine states. On Saturday, about 200,000 customers — many in West Virginia — were still waiting for the lights to come back on.
For those lucky enough to have power, the oppressive heat outdoors made the indoors seem the better option.
Monica Fuhrman, 21, of Centreville, Va., canceled her plans to attend an outdoor festival because it was simply too hot. “It really inhibits the things you can do,” she said.
The most vulnerable to the heat are the elderly, sick and the young. But state and local authorities also warned that there is often a rise in drowning fatalities when the temperatures spike and people seek refuge at pools and beaches.
Besides the 10 deaths in Virginia, at least eight were reported in Maryland, according to The A.P. In Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago, the medical examiner’s office has reported at least six heat-related deaths since Wednesday. There were also reports of heat-related deaths in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
In some areas, the heat has been so severe that it has caused asphalt roads to buckle as they expand under the baking sun. In Wisconsin, a sport utility vehicle was captured on video posted on YouTube flying through the air after it sped over a buckled section of roadway.
It is not just the searing temperatures, but the duration of the heat spell that is causing problems, drawing comparisons in the Midwest to the severe heat and drought of the 1930s.
Around the Midwest, corn and soybean crops shriveled in the heat and lack of rain. While crops are not as ravaged as they were in the Depression-era summer, farmers said they were reminded of conditions in 1988, a year when crops struggled mightily because of severe weather.
In the hardest hit, hottest areas, some farmers said they had already given up on their cornfields for the season, while others said much is riding on whether the heat subsides and rain arrives in the next few days during a crucial period for corn pollination. Prices have risen as drought conditions have raised questions about yields. “There’s vast uncertainty,” said Bob Nielsen, a professor of agronomy at Purdue University. “There aren’t many years, though, when I get this pessimistic.”
Mike Layer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in New York said that a dome of high pressure has been settled over the Eastern United States, helping create “stagnant weather pattern” that was keeping the heat from moving on.
That high-pressure system is expected to move east over the weekend, offering relief from the heat for much of the country. But that relief could come at a cost.
Last week’s power outages were caused by what is known as a derecho — a long-lasting storm featuring high winds and fast-moving thunderstorms and heavy rain that can cause severe damage similar to that of a tornado.
As the high temperatures cool down in coming days, the National Weather Service warned, the atmosphere will once again be unstable and primed for severe thunderstorms.
Monica Davey, Aaron Edwards, Adeshina Emmanuel and John Eligon contributed reporting
