The heat wave sweeping much of the Eastern and Central America has killed at least 20 people in the past week, as more dangerous heat conditions are expected to soon hit the West.
Record-high temperatures in dozens of East Coast communities caused celebrations to be canceled and hundreds of people sent to emergency rooms over the Fourth of July weekend.
There have been 19 heat-related deaths in New Jersey since July 2, the most of any state so far. Many victims were found in homes without air conditioning, some outside their residences, some on the streets and some in parked cars, Dr. Renard E. Washington, commissioner of the state Department of Health, said during a press conference on July 4.
In Jackson, Mississippi, a 74-year-old man who was reported missing on June 29 was found behind a gas station on July 2, but died on the way to the hospital. Local officials told the National Weather Service that the man had been experiencing extreme heat for several days, with a heat index exceeding 100.
An event in Pennsylvania on July 2 centered on Union Pacific’s Big Boy, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, led to dozens of people being taken to local hospitals due to heat illness.
In Washington, D.C., where the heat index climbed above 110 degrees during President Donald Trump’s July 4 Salute to America event, emergency services personnel reported exposure to 96 patients and the transport of 40 patients from the National Mall, the National Special Protective Programs Joint Information Center said in a July 5 statement.
As of 10 p.m. ET, before fireworks began in the nation’s capital, George Washington University reported 289 patients exposed to the National Mall. It is unclear how many were heat-related.
The East Coast is expected to soon get some respite from extreme temperatures as the heat dome will shrink, leading to the possibility of severe storms. The storm could cause damaging wind gusts, torrential rain and possible flooding in southeastern New England and the mid-Atlantic on July 5, AccuWeather meteorologists said.
States from Texas to Wisconsin have at least “some” risk of severe storms through Tuesday, July 7. Meanwhile, a new heat dome building between the Rockies and the West Coast is expected to bring sweltering temperatures to much of the West, according to AccuWeather forecasts.
Reporting by Karissa Wadick and Deena Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY/USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect