By NICK PERRY and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press) SQUAM LAKE, N.H. (AP) — A heat wave from the Midwest to New England moved closer to a breaking point Thursday as millions of people sweated out another day.
The National Weather Service predicted it would peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England Thursday and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic by the weekend, but said oppressive heat will linger or grow over much of the rest of the country, including triple-digit highs in California and Arizona. Heat index readings combining temperature and humidity were expected to surpass 100 degrees (37.7 C) in many locations, possibly setting some all-time records, the weather service said, and because record overnight temperatures could prevent natural cooling, heat danger could build up indoors.
“Those without access to reliable air conditioning are urged to find a way to cool down,” the service said in its forecast. In a study published Thursday, a group of scientists said human-caused climate change has drastically increased the odds of experiencing the killer heat baking the Southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America this month. Last year, the U.
S. saw the greatest number of heat waves — abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days — since 1936. Ocean waters are warmer as well, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, where the season’s first named storm, Alberto, was dumping heavy rain and flash flooding along a stretch of the coast from Mexico to Louisi.
