An extreme heat wave has swept across the eastern and southern parts of the United States, leaving at least 25 deaths due to the dangerous temperatures. According to the summary data, the vast majority of the victims were registered in the state of New Jersey, where the local health department confirmed 22 deaths in ten different counties. Deaths directly related to heat stress were also reported in the states of Mississippi and Illinois.
The meteorological situation remains critical, with in places the heat index (the feeling of heat due to high humidity) exceeding 46 degrees Celsius (115°F). The heat coincided with the July 4th holiday weekend, forcing the emergency cancellation of a number of mass events. The official Independence Day parade in Washington was canceled, and during President Trump's official speech, emergency services treated dozens of people with heat exhaustion on the National Mall.
Record Temperatures: “Newark“ New Jersey recorded a record high of 40.5°C (105°F). Cities such as Washington, Philadelphia and Raleigh also tied or beat their all-time highs. Infrastructure collapse: Overloaded electrical grids have led to widespread outages, leaving more than a million customers without power in states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Amtrak has canceled dozens of trains along the busy Northeast Corridor. Link to climate: Scientists from the World Weather Attribution consortium emphasize that the intensity of the current “heat dome“ would be virtually impossible without the effects of greenhouse gas pollution and the increasing influence of the El Niño phenomenon.The US National Weather Service (NWS) warns that while the air mass in the Northeast is cooling slightly under the pressure of powerful thunderstorms and the risk of local flooding, the core of the dangerous heat is shifting more towards the Mid-Atlantic states, the South and the Southwest.
Source: The Guardian, NBC News