Heat Wave Sets Sights on East Coast

Burke/Triolo Productions/Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- This week, the East Coast is expected to get a taste of what life has been like for the Midwest and Gulf Coast for days and even weeks, but the heat wave isn't exactly moving on -- it's just growing larger.

Nearly 200 million sweltered in dangerously high temperatures Wednesday. There are heat warnings and advisories in 36 states, and temperatures in many areas have broken the 100-degree mark.

The National Weather Service attributed the extreme weather to a heat "dome" sitting over much of the nation. The "dome" is caused by a huge area of high pressure that traps and compresses hot, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico.

The heat wave has set more than 200 records since Friday. In Chicago, temperatures were in the high 90s Wednesday, although it felt like 105 or hotter.

To make matters worse, some area residents had to cope with no air conditioning because of a power outage.

In Minnesota, the heat index hit 134 degrees Tuesday. In Iowa, blistering heat buckled highways. And in South Carolina, residents prepared for a second major heat wave as the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Wednesday.

Schools in Tennessee, where a heat advisory is in effect for the western half of the state, rescheduled practices and scrimmages for their student-athletes as weathercasters predicted heat indexes of 110.

As some major U.S. cities prepared to keep public swimming pools open longer to help residents beat the heat, in Detroit, where temperatures rose into the 90s, county officials discussed closing the city's only water park because of budget cuts. Thirteen public schools in Detroit were opened as cooling stations.

For those in the Midwest hoping to take a dip in a lake or pond, the severe heat has also helped a dangerous algae to thrive, threatening swimmers and livestock. Blue-green algae can cause skin irritations and even damage the liver and central nervous system.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Heat Wave Continues to Scorch the Nation

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Excessive summer heat and humidity are taking their toll on millions of Americans.

Some 20 states issued heat advisories or warnings Monday, with health officials in Texas advising people to drink at least two bottles of water per hour to avoid heat stroke.

Dr. Michael Halbert, an emergency room physician in Madison, Wisconsin, says the heat has triggered an increase in ER cases and he expects even more as the hot weather continues this week.

And if you were thinking of jumping into a lake to cool off, think again.  The heat is causing many lakes to evaporate even faster, and as a result, blue-green algae and bacteria are exploding in the stagnant waters.

In Oklahoma, health officials have closed access to several contaminated lakes.  Tony Clyde of the Army corps of Engineers says spring floods carried a lot of ground fertilizer into the lakes and that has turned many lakes and reservoirs into “pea soup.”

Temperatures across Minnesota rose to 97 degrees Monday with a heat index that reached 112 degrees.  At a Minnesota Twins doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians in Minneapolis, a woman had to be treated for what appeared to be heat exhaustion.  Ironically, one of the games was a make-up for a game that had been canceled on April 22 on account of snow.

Elsewhere, the heat index was 126 in Newton, Iowa and 120 in Mitchell, South Dakota Monday.

Folks in Phoenix, Arizona are used to the heat, but they're getting tired of a recent rash of dust storms.

Another giant wall of dust, this one some 3,000 feet high, rolled through the Phoenix area Monday, causing poor visibility and some delays for flights at the city’s Sky Harbor International Airport, where visibility was less than a quarter mile.  The dust storm generated winds with gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

Earlier this month, a monster dust storm a mile high pounded Arizona, halting airline traffic and knocking out power to many residents.

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Midwest Continues to Bake as Heat Wave Moves East

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- A dangerous heat wave continues to hover over the central part of the U.S. and is expected to spread eastward over the next few days. Forecasters say the scorching temps will be sticking around well into next week.

Heat index values in the Midwest are expected to stay planted in the triple digits, making it feel like at least 100 degrees and higher throughout the afternoon Monday.

Minneapolis will feel like it's 118 degrees; the average temperature for this time in July is in the mid-80s.

The oppressive heat has caused many problems for people who live in places that don't normally record such high temperatures.

The rising mercury coupled with the stifling humidity has sent six people to the hospital in Iowa; the top recorded temperature in that state reached 99 degrees on Sunday in Council Bluffs. The average temperature for this time of year is 88 degrees.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state, authorities say two homes got so hot their smoke detectors were tripped, triggering false alarms.

Asphalt at a major intersection in western Oklahoma buckled on Saturday night from the intense heat -- temperatures there have reached 100 degrees or higher 27 times already this year.

The heat is also affecting local wildlife in Texas. Researchers found that many does are unable to carry fawns to term in this weather, causing premature births.

Government officials and business owners are doing what they can to help people keep cool.

City officials have opened cooling centers in Chicago, where temperatures are expected to hit 105 degrees. Cooling centers have also been opened in Detroit to help residents who don't have air conditioning in their homes.

Seventeen states from Texas to Michigan have reported heat advisories and warnings.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Heat Wave: Soaring Temperatures Spread Across US

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- The death toll from the heat wave stretching across the U.S. rose to 39 Wednesday as scorching temperatures have affected nearly half of the country's population.

Some 150 million people are being seared by the relentless heat that has shattered records and led the National Weather Service to issue heat warnings for 24 states. Record temperatures across the country were either matched or broken at least 670 different times since the beginning of July.

In Wisconsin, 15 runners were hospitalized after collapsing during a half marathon.

"Your brain cannot function at temperature extremes, and so if you get too hot, you can have problems and you can have long-term damage," Dr. David Messerly of Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina told ABC News.

This week, Oklahoma City saw its hottest temperatures in 20 years, at 111 degrees.  Tuesday was the city's 14th straight day above 100 degrees.

In Union County, South Carolina, fans were being handed out to the public, but the supply ran out.

"It concerns me because there are people out there who are suffering, when something as small as a $15 fan can make a difference in their lives," Lynn Smosky of the Council for Aging in Union City, told ABC News.

Phoenix has seen at least 33 consecutive days of temperatures at or above 100 degrees, while Dallas has seen at least 11 consecutive days with temperatures at or topping 100.  Dallas city inspectors are going door-to-door to ensure that air conditioners are working.

Medical experts say drinking plenty of water is the best line of defense.

"When the heat goes up at this level, you could be going through a liter every hour.  If you don't replace that, it could be very dangerous," ABC News' chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser said.

On another note, drought is now gripping farms and ranch lands in the South and Southwest, with parts of Texas breaking drought records set in 1917.  The federal government has declared the entire state a disaster area, with an estimated $3 billion in agricultural losses.

Ranchers in Tulsa, Oklahoma were selling what they would normally keep, and with no rain there is no hay to feed the cattle -- meaning beef prices will be on the rise.

"We can expect higher prices in the future, on top of what are already record retail prices for consumers," David Anderson, livestock economist from the Texas Agri-Life Extension Service, told ABC News.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Scorcher! Parts of US Remain Near, At, Triple-Digit Temperatures

File photo. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Although the Northeast will get some relief in the coming days from the heat wave that is baking half of the U.S., states like Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas will continue to cook with very little relief from thunderstorms and cooling temperatures.

Accuweather.com's expert senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said the high pressure system keeping parts of the country near or over 100 degrees -- from the New York metropolitan area to Kansas to Texas -- would likely be around for a while.

"We are entering the hottest part of the summer, traditionally, from mid-July to the first part of August," he said of the "dog days" of summer.

Sosnowski said the heat was really taking its toll on places that had been suffering from extreme heat since early June, but that many communities in the core of the high pressure system causing the heat would likely remain oppressively hot through July.

"It's really getting out of hand," Sosnowski said. "We really don't see anything big to change this weather pattern."

In Tennessee, where Nashville was enduring its second day of triple-digit temperatures, Justin Bruce, the morning meteorologist at ABC affiliate WKRN-TV, said that the city's temperatures had reached 100 degrees Monday.

"When you factor in humidity, the heat index was 114," he said. "We talked to the National Weather Service and they could not recall any time in the last several years when the heat index was 114."

On Tuesday, the city's temperatures were back around 100 with a heat index of 105-115. "It's pretty stinky," said Bruce, who added that typically the average high in Nashville was around 89 degrees.

Kraig Roozeboom, a crop production specialist at Kansas State University, said the heat combined with a drought that has been around since last fall, was affecting the state's corn crop. In Wichita, temperatures hit 111 Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Tuesday's temperatures were in the 90s. The weather service issued an excessive heat warning through the evening for much of the state's northeast and several southern counties.

Kansas is the nation's sixth-largest corn producer, harvesting 581.2 million bushels last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The service rated about 18 percent of the corn in poor to very poor condition this year, with 31 percent rated as fair. Only 8 percent was rated excellent.

"We always have heat," Roozeboom told ABC News. "One of the issues is it's getting hotter much earlier and staying hot."

Roozebum said that some of the corn crop was a "total loss" and that this year much of the state was suffering.

"This is a pretty bad year. Worse than normal," he said.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Atlantis Fuels Up Despite Unfavorable Weather for Shuttle Launch

NASA/Troy Cryder UPDATE: Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday to begin the final mission for NASA's space shuttle program.

(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) -- Space shuttle Atlantis began fueling up with over 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen early Friday morning in anticipation of its final launch -- the last mission for NASA's space shuttle program.

The space shuttle is scheduled for lift-off at 11:26 a.m. ET.  However, inclement weather could push the launch back to either Saturday or Sunday.  According to NASA, Friday's forecast shows a 30 percent chance of favorable weather.

Up to one million spectators are estimated to be on hand when Atlantis' four-man crew -- Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim -- takes off for a 12-day mission to the International Space Station from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.  The astronauts will carry critical parts and goods to keep the station supplied for the next year.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

North Dakota Residents Flee as Historic Flood Waters Rise

File photo. Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(MINOT, N.D.) -- Residents of Minot, N.D., have now resigned themselves: the Souris River will overflow, and the city will flood. More than 11,000 residents, nearly a quarter of the population, have already been forced to flee as waters rise towards historic levels and submerge entire neighborhoods.

"We could have a really catastrophic type of event here. We will -- there is no doubt about it anymore. I think people have to understand if you were on the edge before you may not be on the edge now," Curt Zimbelman, mayor of the town of 41,000, told evacuees Wednesday night.

ABC News Fargo affiliate WDAY filmed a submerged neighborhood where 15-20 homes are completely surrounded by water in the southwest part of Minot.

Minot is also home to more than just families - Minuteman III nuclear missile silos are also in the flood's path. At least two silos are being protected by sandbags and pumps, but are reported to be safe.

"We are already higher than the historic flood of 1969 and based on current predictions we will crest seven feet higher than we did in 1969 and about five feet higher than ever recorded going back to the flood of 1881," Zimbelman told ABC News. "These levels are above any rating curves than the National Weather Service has dealt with in the past."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing pent-up water from the Lake Darling Dam, which will push water downstream towards Minot at 17,000 cubic feet per second -- more than three times the record flow rate before this year. Those raging waters are expected to start pushing against the makeshift Minot levees rated to withstand water flows of up to about 9,500 cfs on Thursday or Friday, according to WDAY.

The Souris River, which loops down from Canada through north-central North Dakota, has been bloated by heavy spring snowmelt and rain. It is not expected to crest until Sunday or Monday.

Minot is expecting the worst flooding it has seen in nearly four decades, when severe flooding of the Souris River devastated the city in 1969. The same river reached 1,555.4 feet above sea level during that destructive flood time, and this time it could reach 1,563 feet.

This is the second time Minot residents have had to flee their homes. About 10,000 people were told to evacuate potentially affected areas earlier this month when the river climbed to 1,554 feet. They were eventually allowed to return, but were told to remain on high alert. Many of the same people have now been forced back out of their homes.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Killer Heat Wave Moves to Northeast, MidAtlantic

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images (file)(NEW YORK) -- The pre-summer heat wave that's been gripping the nation's midsection moved to the Northeast on Wednesday, triggering heat advisories and warnings in cities from New York to Washington.

At least several deaths have been reported and the National Weather Service warned that the heat wave would bring temperatures in the 90s to 100 degrees with high humidity to the East Coast and Southeast states for several days.

Is this a sign of things to come? A study in this month's issue of the journal Climatic Change predicts that much of the Northern Hemisphere is likely to experience an irreversible rise in summer temperatures within the next 20 to 60 years. The culprit, Stanford University scientists claim, is rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

"According to our projections, large areas of the globe are likely to warm up so quickly that, by the middle of this century, even the coolest summers will be hotter than the hottest summers of the past 50 years," the study's lead author, Noah Diffenbaugh, an assistant professor of environmental Earth system science and fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, said in a statement.

"When scientists talk about global warming causing more heat waves, people often ask if that means that the hottest temperatures will become 'the new normal,'" Diffenbaugh said. "That got us thinking -- at what point can we expect the coolest seasonal temperatures to always be hotter than the historically highest temperatures for that season?"

No need to wait long, the researchers say, because the heat is already here. "We find that the most immediate increase in extreme seasonal heat occurs in the tropics, with up to 70 percent of seasons in the early 21st century (2010-2039) exceeding the late-20th century maximum," the authors wrote. Wide swaths of North America, China and Mediterranean Europe are also likely to enter into a new heat regime by 2070, they said.

Other scientists point to data that shows the world has been on a cooling trend since the mid-1990s, however, and that our weather is much more related to solar activity. A massive solar flare was observed earlier this week.

Whatever the cause, nobody can argue one undeniable fact: it's hot. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Baltimore-Washington region and a higher-level excessive heat warning for Philadelphia, where similar temperatures are forecast. Heat advisories also were issued for parts of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

Air quality alerts also were issued across the region, including in New Jersey. Officials said ozone levels could cause problems for children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. The state's Health Department said men ages 65 to 84 years of age are the largest group hospitalized for heat exposure each year.

Public schools in Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey cut their school days short in response to rising temperatures.

As the heat wave has pushed east, it has crushed previous record highs in St. Louis and St. Paul, Minn., where the mercury reached 102 degrees on Tuesday.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Storm Brewing in the Pacific, Predicted to Become Hurricane

Hemera Technologies/Ablestock[dot]com(MIAMI) -- The first tropical depression of the season has formed in the Pacific Ocean and is forecast to become a tropical storm by Tuesday night or Wednesday.

"The good news is we expect the storm to move out to sea," said Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Center, "and we do not see any landfall from this storm any time in its future."

On Tuesday, the system was 365 miles south of Acapulco, moving northwest and gaining strength.

It was predicted to become a hurricane by Friday.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Arizona Wildfires Burn On, New Evacuations Ordered

Comstock/Thinkstock(GREER, Ariz.) -- New evacuations were ordered late Sunday into Monday as Arizona firefighters attempted to gain ground on the Wallow fire, which has burned 192,000 acres near the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

Over 2,200 people fled their homes as the fires advanced, fed by hot winds and dry fuel. There is concern that the blazes could expand Monday, fed by hot gusty winds as well as lightning storms that can trigger new fires.

"It was horrific -- the likes of a fire I've never seen from the air before," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said.

Residents have turned to using inhalers in attempts to breathe through the thick smoke.

The blaze, which began May 29, became the third-largest in state history, officials said Sunday. Emergency crews intentionally started a series of smaller fires Saturday, trying to halt the advance of the fire.

"It's scary. I see black smoke and I panic, you know," said Shaneen Elefante, who works at a local lodge. "It's very devastating to a lot of the families -- the people who work up here, just the whole community."

Firefighters have worked around the clock to protect Arizona communities from the massive wildfire, which has already cost $3 million to fight.

Temperatures are set to reach the high 90s across Arizona on Monday.

The state saw its worst fire in 2002, when the Rodeo-Chediski fire burned 469,000 acres across the central section of the state, along the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. In 2004, the Cave Creek complex fire burned 248,000 acres in 2005.

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