Atlanta, Georgia, tied its June 22 record with 98 degrees Fahrenheit Wednesday while about 80 miles south, Macon set a new heat record for the day with 105 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
At least a dozen high-temperature records were tied or broken across the Eastern US from Arkansas to the Carolinas — all the way to New York.
One part of widespread extreme weather
And there’s no relief in sight.
About 65% of the US population will see temperatures above 90 degrees over the next week, and almost 55 million will be sweltering in temperatures at or above 100.
Officials in New Orleans have warned the heat index could be as high as 115 degrees this week, and the city has set up several cooling shelters.
At least five people died
At least five people died of heat-related causes last week — four in Georgia and one in Tennessee.
Power companies in the South surveyed by CNN earlier said they were prepared for this week’s heat wave.
“This is our ‘Super Bowl’ that we prepare all year for,” Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spokesperson Scott Fiedler said in a statement to CNN. “TVA is extremely well-positioned to meet power demand during this week’s hot weather. As you know, temperature and load go hand in hand. So we should see high loads the rest of this week.”
CNN’s Taylor Ward and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.
Read More: At least a dozen high temperature records were tied or broken across Eastern US in latest heat wave