The United States is bracing itself for another heatwave today, with more than 100 million Americans under severe weather warnings as temperatures are expected to soar to 113 Fahrenheit in parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
Nearly 20 percent of the US population, around 60 million people, are expected to see the dials rise above 100 degrees in the coming week, while the National Weather Service has also warned of thunderstorms and large hail.
In a statement on Monday, the Weather Prediction Center said: ‘Dangerous heat will continue to impact much of the central and parts of southwestern US today,’ where much of the region is experiencing extreme droughts.
And in the southeast, extreme heat will combine with humidity to raise the heat indexes above 100 degrees.
The warnings come a day after New York was hit with powerful thunderstorms, when heavy rain flooded roads and subways. Manhattan, The Bronx and the surrounding region was put under a flash-flood warning until 6 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Residents were warned to stay out of their basements as torrential rain rolled in, amid fears that the storms could cause a repeat of last year’s Hurricane Ida, which caused the deaths of dozens of people.
Data showed that 1.5 to 3 inches of rain fell on New York City, as loud claps of thunder crashed overhead. In one video posted to social media, water could be seen pouring into the Dyckman St subway station in Manhattan.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement it is ‘not a submarine so it cannot be completely impervious to water with many openings, including staircases, and street level drainage coming into the stations that make it susceptible to flooding.’
Meanwhile, in the Bronx, CBS 2 caught the moment a large white van fell into an ever-growing sinkhole following the heavy rains and another video posted online shows a bus struggling to wade through the high water levels as it began to flood.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: A sinkhole in the Bronx was already the length of three cars by the time CBS News reporters arrived on the scene Monday night
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Soon after they started recording, the ground broke underneath a white van, causing it to fall in
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The owner of the vehicle, though, says he is alright, noting losing the van ‘is life’
The sinkhole was already the width of three cars by the time CBS reporters arrived on the scene as vehicles were lined up on its side trying not to fall in.
As the cameras rolled, a white van on the edge of the sinkhole started teetering as the ground broke apart underneath it – until it eventually tumbled into the gaping hole.
Onlookers shouted in shock at the scene as car alarms started blaring.
But before his van sank into the ground, owner Tony Papadodoulos said he was not concerned with the fate of the vehicle.
‘I’m alright,’ he said. ‘Lose the van, it’s life.’
The Department of Environmental Protection could not verify whether the sinkhole was caused by the huge storm on Monday, though it opened up at around the same time.
Officials are also looking at whether it is connected to another sinkhole that opened up on the same street one year ago, when resident Joey Saadah said ‘it took them three months for them to fix the work, and we didn’t have water.’
Now, he said, he fears they will not have water again as temperatures rise into the high 90s in New York City, with a major heatwave affecting vast swaths of the country.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Manhattan, The Bronx and the surrounding region was put under a flash-flood warning until 6 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said. Pictured: Cars are driven through flooded roads in New York
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Wild weather wreaked havoc across the Tri-State area as heavy storms rolled through the area
Record heat is forecasted across the country for the coming days, with temperatures in the triple digits for three days running in much of the country
The United States is bracing itself for another heatwave set to kick off today, with more than 100 million Americans under severe weather warnings and temperatures expected to soar to 113 Fahrenheit in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Pictured: A map from the National Weather Service showing the daytime highs across America for Tuesday
Areas in the southwest are also experiencing extreme drought conditions and could face water shortages
Across the southeast, the humidity will combine with extreme heat to raise the heat indexes above 100 degrees
The extreme heat has already shattered records across the United States and is expected to continue to do so
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Residents were warned to stay out of their basements as torrential rain rolled in, amid fears that the storms could cause a repeat of last year’s Hurricane Ida, which caused the deaths of dozens of people. Residents are seen here wading across the flooded streets on Monday
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Data showed that 1.5 to 3 inches of rain fell on New York City, as loud claps of thunder crashed overhead. Pictured: Flooding in New York on Monday
More than 40 million people across the Plains and Central California are under heat alerts Tuesday, as temperatures rise 10 to 15 degrees above normal.
Nearly 20 percent of the US population, around 60 million people, are expected to see the dials rise above 100 degrees in the coming week.
In the lower Mississippi Valley, as well as parts of the central Plains and the lower Missouri Valley, daytime temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees, and as high as 110 degrees in some parts of the region.
Extreme heat with highs of 113 degrees is forecasted for Texas and Oklahoma. High of 100-110F or higher will focus on the South Central states, as well as parts of the deserts, forecasts showed.
In Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota, residents were warned that the heat index – a figure that states what it feels like to the human body taking into account both heat and humidity – could reach 111 degrees.
The National Weather Service sent a warning about heat waves on its Twitter account on Monday, along with maps showing the severely impacted areas.
‘Heat is typically the leading cause of weather-related fatalities each year. Heat waves can cover a large area, exposing many people to a dangerous combination of heat and humidity,’ the warning said.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Video posted online showed the moment a bus tried to wade through the heavy rains
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: After a wave crashed down on the bus, water started to seep inside
Tuesday could see a reading of 112 degrees in Wichita Falls, Texas, the Washington Post reported.
Dallas, Texas is forecasted to hit 110 degrees on Tuesday afternoon, which would tie the previously daily record that was set in 1980.
Temperatures could remain in the 80s overnight in the Texas city, meaning residents are at an increased risk of heat-related illness on account of not being able to cool off.
As far north as South Dakota, temperatures are set to reach triple digits. Rapid City is expected today to break the 104 degrees high set in 1934. In some parts of the Dakotas, it is expected to reach 109 degrees.
Meanwhile, in the New York area, temperatures are set to soar into the 90s – just a day after the heavy rainfall.
Tuesday is expected to reach 93-degrees, about 8-degrees higher than normal for this time of the year, and on Wednesday, a heat advisory will go into effect from noon to 8pm as temperatures climb to 96-degrees.
But Thursday will be the worst in the Big Apple, when humidity is expected to send temperatures into the triple digits.
‘It’s a bonafide heat wave working its way through the northeast,’ FOX Weather associate meteorologist Christopher Tate told the New York Post.
‘Hopefully, we stay less than 105, but as hot and humid as it is, I won’t be surprised to [see] heat indexes of 105-degrees.’
Tate also noted that the hot weather isn’t expected to subside until a cold front comes into the area on Monday.
‘It’s going to be one of those weekends where you’re not going to want to go outside at all,’ he said, adding: ‘Your body will have to do some more work to keep itself regulated.’
And in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures reaching 108 degrees on Tuesday, but Vivek Mahale, a meteorologist based in Norman, said ‘it could be anywhere between 106 to 110 degrees.
‘The forecasts aren’t exact, but it’s going to be across Oklahoma anywhere from 107 to 113 degrees,’ he told the Oklahoman, adding: ‘It’s going to be hot like this for the rest of the summer.’
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and the Oklahoma State Department of Environmental Quality have now declared Tuesday an Ozone Alert Day.
High temperatures in the city have already broken records, with Tulsa recording its 11th triple-digit day of the summer on Friday. It usually records just 10 100-plus degree days a year.
As a result, the Emergency Medical Services Authority in Oklahoma City reported on Monday that it has responded to 59 suspected heat illness calls since July 7.
New Yorkers sunbathed in Washington Square Park on Tues
A man cooled off in a fountain at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan on Tuesday
ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Texas is continuing to face drought conditions amid the excessive heat. Emily Buss, 16, left is seen here reaching for an umbrella to put on the lifeguard stand at the Allen Bolden Outdoor Pool last week
DALLAS, TEXAS: In North Texas, residents are being asked to conserve water. Charles Clark is seen here sweating and drinking water out of a jug after practicing his boxing during a heat advisory last week
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: Families tried to cool off in the waters of Squirrel Creek amid the nationwide heatwave
Meanwhile, San Antonio, Texas recorded its hottest June on record this year with 17 days at or above 100-degrees – and is now on pace to have the hottest summer ever recorded, according to the New York Times.
And in North Texas, residents are being asked to conserve water amid drought conditions and the looming heatwave – both of which could pose a potential water shortage.
The North Texas Municipal Water District is calling for customers to reduce their water use ‘immediately,’ especially outdoors, until at least Wednesday.
The water district serves about 2 million people including in Plano and North Dallas County.
It was already forced to cease water production at one of its four treatment plants unexpectedly on Saturday ‘to return the plant back to full water purification capacity,’ ABC News reports, and that maintenance combined with a regional drought prompted the company to request a precautionary reduction in water usage.
The move comes just one week after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas actually had to ask its 26 million customers to voluntarily reduce their electric use in an effort to avoid rolling blackouts as excessive air conditioning use created a strain on the electric grid.
And, as one weatherman was warning residents about the potential for blackouts amid the 100-plus degree temperatures, the lights went out at his studio.
Travis Herzog, a weatherman for Houston’s KRTK-TV, was on the air Wednesday afternoon noting that the high temperatures could create ‘a big draw on that electric demand,’ when the lights went out.
‘It looks like we may have just switched over to generator power,’ Herzog then told the audience. ‘Our lights just went out.’
Still, he continued his report for the 3pm broadcast, noting that it was 104-degrees in Huntsville and there was ‘excessive heat’ in College Station.
As he spoke, the lights came back on, to which Herzog said, ‘Ok, we’re back now.’
It seemed to be the end of the situation, but about two hours later, as he was giving an update on the 5pm broadcast, the power went off again.
In a clip he posted to Twitter, Herzog says: ‘We’re expecting high temperatures west of Houston to get back above 100,’ as the studio suddenly goes dark.
‘It did it again,’ he laughs, before turning back to the camera and saying: ‘Alright, so our lights just went out, but I learned last time I’m still on TV so there’s the forecast.’
He then explains: ‘Our lights always go first and then cycle back on once we got our generator kicking back in.’
‘But triple digit weather here to the west,’ Herzog says as he continues with his report, only for the lights to come back on. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Let there be light and there was light.’
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Trevor Herzog, a weatherman for Houston’s KTRK-TV, was on the air Wednesday afternoon discussing the high temperatures when the lights went out
HOUSTON, TEXAS: As he was giving his 5pm update later that day, the lights in the studio went out again
The number of days in New York averaging above 90 degrees in July is expected to total 11 – five more days more than the overall total so far this year.
The eight consecutive days of over 90-degree temperatures in New York City would make it one of the 10 hottest stretches in its history.
The record of 12 consecutive days was set in 1953.
Thursday is forecast to be the hottest day in the Big Apple, reaching a high of 97 degrees, but Friday could feel hotter for residents as there will be less cloud cover.
The Salvation Army is opening eight cooling centers in several city neighborhoods to provide relief.
High temperatures were already being seen on Sunday, with Salt Lake City recording a record high of 104 degrees for July 17.
As the temperature rises, weather agencies also warned of the risk of severe thunderstorms, particularly in the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes on Tuesday. Large hail and damaging winds are also expected.
Pictured: A map released by the National Weather Service showing areas of the United States put under an excessive heat warning
Pictured: A separate map from the National Weather Service showing areas expected to be hit by thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday
The warnings came as a fierce heatwave sweeping western Europe was on Tuesday set to smash Britain’s all-time temperature record. Swathes of the continent wilted under a scorching sun which has fed ferocious wildfires and stretched emergency services.
Forecasters in the UK have for days been predicting the current national record of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, registered in 2019, would be broken Tuesday and 40C breached for the first time.
The meteorological agency, the Met Office, said it had provisionally been the warmest night on record heading into the day, after temperatures remained above 77F in most places.
Experts blame climate change for the latest unprecedented heatwave, and note the more frequent extreme weather will only worsen in years to come.
Across the Channel in France, a host of towns and cities recorded their highest-ever temperatures on Monday, the national weather office said. Saint-Brieuc, on the Channel coast, hit 39.5C beating a previous record of 38.1C, and the western city of Nantes recorded 42C, beating a decades-old high of 40.3C, set in 1949.
Firefighters in France’s southwest were still struggling in the crushing heat to contain two massive fires that have caused widespread destruction.
For nearly a week now, armies of firefighters and waterbombing aircraft have battled blazes that have mobilized much of France’s firefighting capacity.
Two people were killed in the blazes in Spain that its prime minister linked to global warming, saying, ‘Climate change kills.’
That toll comes on top of the hundreds of heat-related deaths reported in the Iberian peninsula, as high temperatures have gripped the continent in recent days and triggered wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans.
Some areas, including northern Italy, are also experiencing extended droughts.