Record heat dome bakes eastern US through July 4th weekend
A sprawling heat dome has settled over the Midwest and East. The CDC reports extremely high rates of heat-related emergency room visits, Washington broke an 1872 temperature record at 102 degrees, and more than 165 million people are under major or extreme heat risk.
A record-breaking heat dome is baking the eastern United States through the July 4th weekend. The CDC now reports extremely high rates of heat-related emergency room visits. Washington reached 102 degrees, breaking a record that had stood since 1872, and more than a dozen locations across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast broke or tied all-time highs. Heat indices are pushing past 110 degrees in the hottest spots, and the National Weather Service estimates over 165 million people are under major or extreme heat risk. Parts of the Ohio Valley sit in the Extreme category, the highest on the federal scale, meaning little or no overnight relief. When temperatures never drop, the body cannot recover, which is why heat is the deadliest form of weather in the country.