Nation Swelters in Hottest Temperatures in a Century
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Broiling temperatures in the 90s and beyond gripped large swaths of the country yesterday, sending people scrambling for the shade, and prompting officials to open air-conditioned buildings and take to the streets to rescue the homeless and elderly.
In Illinois, state officials made more than 130 office buildings available as cooling centers. Detroit cranked up the air conditioning in 11 of its libraries and invited the public to take refuge from the heat. In Kentucky, Louisville officials offered free fans or air conditioners to those in immediate need.
Fierce heat blanketed the nation from the southern Plains to the Northeast. Hays, Kan., topped 100 by early afternoon, and temperatures were likely to exceed 105 through the middle of the week. Oklahoma City hit 102.
The Northeast could get a break starting tonight, with scattered showers and thunderstorms expected for parts of the region, but the heat was likely to persist in the southern Plains until Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The federal government reported last week that the first half of 2006 was the warmest in America since record keeping began in 1895. The average temperature for the 48 contiguous United States from January through June was 51.8 degrees, or 3.4 degrees above average for the 20th century.
