Weather

Millions Seek Relief As Dangerous Heat Wave Grips Much Of U.S.: Photos

Sticky air made it feel like 105 degrees or more in a large swath of the U.S. from the Midwest to the South and Florida to the Great Lakes.

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A man dives into the cool waters of the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas, on Tuesday. The heat wave pushed temperatures well into the 90s in about a third of the country, and high humidity made it feel closer to 105 to 115 degrees.
A man dives into the cool waters of the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas, on Tuesday. The heat wave pushed temperatures well into the 90s in about a third of the country, and high humidity made it feel closer to 105 to 115 degrees. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

ACROSS AMERICA — Summer doesn't officially start until the June solstice on Tuesday, but millions of Americans sweltered this week under dangerously hot temperatures that may be responsible for the death of at least two people

AccuWeather said more than 103 million people from Wisconsin to Louisiana and points east have been affected by the "heat dome." It's the hottest weather some Americans have experienced in years.

Temperatures in parts of Chicago, for example, have hit triple digits for the first time in nearly a decade. According to AccuWeather, humidity made it feel even hotter, reporting it felt even hotter than what the numbers on the thermometer showed. Cooling centers and extended public pool hours were designated across the Windy City in an effort to help locals stay warm.

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People caught in the heat wave's sticky grip found various ways to keep cool, although people who work in the heat had to suffer through the dangerous heat.

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Miles Nugent, 9, reacts to getting a cold spray of water on his back at the spray park as he plays with his family at Legion Park in Owensboro, Kentucky, on Monday. Heat index values made it feel like 105 to 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, which issued an excessive heat warning through midweek. (Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)
Dianna Andaya, relaxes in the cooling water of the American River as the temperature climbed over the 100 degree mark in Sacramento, California, on Friday as forecasters warned of dangerously high temperatures in much of the interior of California.. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
A runner braves blistering heat as he got in his workout along Lake Michigan's Oak Street Beach in Chicago Wednesday. Temperatures were in the 90s, but high humidity made it feel like about 105. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP)
Bicyclists and sunbathers find some shade while temperatures in the 90s persist along the lakefront Wednesday, near North Avenue Beach, in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP)
Workers brave the oppressive heat in Jackson, Mississippi, as they reroof the Barfield Complex on Monday. Heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and excessive heat watches were issued over states stretching through parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Roger Britt says the high temperatures have caused the squash to go bad, after picking an assortment of vegetables for his dinner in a community garden in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, on Monday. Britt braved the oppressive heat for an hour for a sackful of green beans, tomatoes, and okra. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Trevor Gammon (right) and Conner Evans, of Richmond, Virginia, relax in hammocks strung between the limbs of a tree on Belle Isle as they escape the sweltering heat along the banks of the James River, Wednesday, near downtown in Richmond. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Stephen Clark, of Powhatan, Virginia, hydrates as he works to replace power lines in the sweltering heat Wednesday, in Richmond, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
A tuber floats the cool waters of the Comal River, Tuesday, in New Braunfels, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The Associated Press and AccuWeather contributed reporting.

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