[h=3]By BEN KESLING And ANDREW SEIDMAN[/h]Buckling pavement in Wisconsin, fish kills in North Dakota, cattle running out of grass in Kansas and more than a dozen deaths are being blamed on a lingering nationwide heat wave.
Across the Midwest, excessive heat warnings have been in place for the better part of a week and deaths have been reported across the region, most recently on Thursday in Kansas and Illinois. Many of the deaths have been due to heart failure, yet some drowning deaths have been reported as swimmers seeking relief venture into fast-moving rivers.
A stifling heat wave grips much of the nation, with Chicago hitting a record-tying third straight day of 100-degree plus days, buckling roads, straining the electric grid and killing about 20 people nationwide. Ben Kesling has details on The News Hub. Photo: Reuters.
Nationally, some 1,184 daily record highs have been broken so far in July, said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist at Accuweather.
"What you have is hot air sitting over the center of the country and the jet stream has pushed off to the north," said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. "The normal weather pattern, with movement east to west, has been stopped by a dam of high pressure."
Meanwhile, in the mid-Atlantic states, some people remain without power from a massive storm a week ago, making dealing with the baking temperatures a particular challenge.
St. Louis has been gripped by a heat wave for nine days, said Scott Truett, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service. That's the second-longest in the city's history, bested only by a 13-day-long heat wave in the "Dust Bowl days of 1936," he said.
[h=3]Time for a Pool Party![/h]
Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier/Associated PressEthan Pastore, front left, and his brother Evan swam in their family's pool Thursday near Lafayette, Ind.
"It feels hotter here than in Texas," said Becky Jones, 48, from Denton, Texas, who was in Chicago attending a wedding. "The humidity is much worse. I don't sweat like this in Texas. I thought we were coming up here for cooler weather, but we brought it with us."
Deaths from excessive heat have been reported across the country, with eight in Maryland since July 2 and seven in Virginia since June 29.
"Excessive heat can creep up on you," Mr. Truett said. "You can be hot for two days and then your body just gets worn down."
In Wisconsin, pavement buckling has become a major concern, according to Don Miller, a state Department of Transportation administrator.
Once roadways hit sustained temperatures of over 115 degrees, he said, sections expand into each other until something gives. Buckling has been blamed for at least one accident in the state.
"It's usually better in Wisconsin, but this week it's neck-and-neck," said Jesse Brown, a 48-year-old train engineer who works the Chicago to Wisconsin line. "We just open the windows and sometimes the doors [on the train] and try and go as fast as you can."
Keith Srakocic/Associated PressA woman waiting in the crowd to hear President Barack Obama speak at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Friday shielded herself from the sun with a washcloth as temperatures approached 90 degrees.
In North Dakota, large northern pike have been dying and floating to the surface of waterways, according to state fisheries officials.
And in Kansas, there are reports of cattle running out of grass as drought and heat wither fields across the state.
Temperatures in Chicago have hit 103 multiple times this week. The city has responded by opening more than 13 public-cooling centers in the city, according to state-operated website, Keep Cool Illinois.
"If you have air conditioning, use it," Mr. Truett said. "Yes, it's expensive, but it can truly be a lifesaver."
Last Friday's storm left about 3.6 million people from Ohio to Maryland without power. As of 9 a.m. Friday, 416,192 people in Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia were still without power, according to the Department of Energy.
Record-high temperatures were set in Richmond, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Salisbury, Md.; and Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday, said Daniel Porter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
Perhaps more daunting is that mid-Atlantic cities are setting record-high minimum temperatures, as well.
Thursday's minimum temperature in Richmond was 79 degrees, breaking a record set in 1943. And the 73 degree temperature recorded at Washington National Airport on July 2 broke a record set in 1872.
"Temperatures are not cooling sufficiently low at night," Mr. Porter said. "People don't get the ability to recover at night. That can actually add to continued heat exhaustion."
Mr. Porter said temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees in the region on Saturday, and though Sunday and Monday will be cooler, potentially severe showers and thunderstorms could hit Washington.
Write to Ben Kesling at [email protected] and Andrew Seidman at [email protected]
Corrections & Amplifications
Dominion Resources Inc. was incorrectly referred to as Dominion Power in an earlier version of this article. Also, Scott Truett, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service, was incorrectly cited as Mr. Huett.
Across the Midwest, excessive heat warnings have been in place for the better part of a week and deaths have been reported across the region, most recently on Thursday in Kansas and Illinois. Many of the deaths have been due to heart failure, yet some drowning deaths have been reported as swimmers seeking relief venture into fast-moving rivers.
A stifling heat wave grips much of the nation, with Chicago hitting a record-tying third straight day of 100-degree plus days, buckling roads, straining the electric grid and killing about 20 people nationwide. Ben Kesling has details on The News Hub. Photo: Reuters.
Nationally, some 1,184 daily record highs have been broken so far in July, said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist at Accuweather.
"What you have is hot air sitting over the center of the country and the jet stream has pushed off to the north," said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. "The normal weather pattern, with movement east to west, has been stopped by a dam of high pressure."
Meanwhile, in the mid-Atlantic states, some people remain without power from a massive storm a week ago, making dealing with the baking temperatures a particular challenge.
St. Louis has been gripped by a heat wave for nine days, said Scott Truett, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service. That's the second-longest in the city's history, bested only by a 13-day-long heat wave in the "Dust Bowl days of 1936," he said.
[h=3]Time for a Pool Party![/h]
Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier/Associated PressEthan Pastore, front left, and his brother Evan swam in their family's pool Thursday near Lafayette, Ind.
"It feels hotter here than in Texas," said Becky Jones, 48, from Denton, Texas, who was in Chicago attending a wedding. "The humidity is much worse. I don't sweat like this in Texas. I thought we were coming up here for cooler weather, but we brought it with us."
Deaths from excessive heat have been reported across the country, with eight in Maryland since July 2 and seven in Virginia since June 29.
"Excessive heat can creep up on you," Mr. Truett said. "You can be hot for two days and then your body just gets worn down."
In Wisconsin, pavement buckling has become a major concern, according to Don Miller, a state Department of Transportation administrator.
Once roadways hit sustained temperatures of over 115 degrees, he said, sections expand into each other until something gives. Buckling has been blamed for at least one accident in the state.
"It's usually better in Wisconsin, but this week it's neck-and-neck," said Jesse Brown, a 48-year-old train engineer who works the Chicago to Wisconsin line. "We just open the windows and sometimes the doors [on the train] and try and go as fast as you can."
Keith Srakocic/Associated PressA woman waiting in the crowd to hear President Barack Obama speak at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Friday shielded herself from the sun with a washcloth as temperatures approached 90 degrees.
In North Dakota, large northern pike have been dying and floating to the surface of waterways, according to state fisheries officials.
And in Kansas, there are reports of cattle running out of grass as drought and heat wither fields across the state.
Temperatures in Chicago have hit 103 multiple times this week. The city has responded by opening more than 13 public-cooling centers in the city, according to state-operated website, Keep Cool Illinois.
"If you have air conditioning, use it," Mr. Truett said. "Yes, it's expensive, but it can truly be a lifesaver."
Last Friday's storm left about 3.6 million people from Ohio to Maryland without power. As of 9 a.m. Friday, 416,192 people in Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia were still without power, according to the Department of Energy.
Record-high temperatures were set in Richmond, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Salisbury, Md.; and Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday, said Daniel Porter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
Perhaps more daunting is that mid-Atlantic cities are setting record-high minimum temperatures, as well.
Thursday's minimum temperature in Richmond was 79 degrees, breaking a record set in 1943. And the 73 degree temperature recorded at Washington National Airport on July 2 broke a record set in 1872.
"Temperatures are not cooling sufficiently low at night," Mr. Porter said. "People don't get the ability to recover at night. That can actually add to continued heat exhaustion."
Mr. Porter said temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees in the region on Saturday, and though Sunday and Monday will be cooler, potentially severe showers and thunderstorms could hit Washington.
Write to Ben Kesling at [email protected] and Andrew Seidman at [email protected]
Corrections & Amplifications
Dominion Resources Inc. was incorrectly referred to as Dominion Power in an earlier version of this article. Also, Scott Truett, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service, was incorrectly cited as Mr. Huett.