WASHINGTON – A heatwave baking the US southwest for weeks is set to expand into central and eastern regions.
Beginning in the Midwest, the hot weather will extend east as far as the southern tip of Florida by Wednesday, say meteorologists.
Temperature records were surpassed in several major cities over the weekend, and some 59 million Americans began Monday under extreme heat advisories.
July is now expected to be the Earth’s hottest month since records began.
On Sunday, the city of Phoenix, Arizona, extended its streak of temperatures above 43C (110F) into a 24th day, well past the previous record of 18 days set in 1974.
It is on course to be the first major US city to average over 100F (38C) for an entire month, according to NOAA statistics and a Washington Post analysis.
At least 18 heat-related deaths have occurred in surrounding Maricopa County since April, with 69 more deaths under investigation. (BBC)
