Extreme heat is gripping the Midwest and the South, intensifying on Tuesday before moving into the Northeast on Wednesday.
Record-breaking temperatures were recorded across the Midwest on Monday, with Waterloo, Iowa, reaching a blistering 98 degrees.
On Tuesday, 14 states from Iowa to New York are under alert for dangerous heat conditions.
In Detroit, public school students are being dismissed three hours early on Tuesday due to the extreme heat.
The heat index, which measures how hot it feels when humidity is factored in, is expected to soar to 110 degrees in Chicago, 101 degrees in Indianapolis and Nashville, Tennessee, 100 degrees in Louisville, Kentucky, and 98 degrees in Pittsburgh.
By Wednesday, the intense heat will spread into the Northeast.
Washington, D.C., could see a record high of 99 degrees with a heat index of 104 degrees. Philadelphia’s heat index could reach 105 degrees, while New York City could experience a heat index of 99 degrees.
The record heat will begin to ease in the Midwest and Northeast on Thursday, but will persist in the South.
Nashville is forecasted to reach 101 degrees, while Atlanta could see temperatures of 97 degrees.
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According to CDC WONDER, an online database, hundreds of deaths occur annually in the U.S. due to excessive heat, with scientists warning that the actual number of heat-related fatalities is likely higher.
Last year saw the highest number of heat-related deaths on record in the U.S., according to JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
