heat wave news stories on Newser

Austin Breaks Cruel Record: 70 Days of 100-Degree Heat

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:48:05 CDT

This isn't the kind of record that locals are likely to boast of with pride: Austin, Texas, today broke a record set in 1925 for the most days of 100-plus-degree heat. At 2pm a temperature of 100 degrees was recorded, making today the 70th day of triple-degree heat, reports the...

Okla.'s July Was Hottest US Month on Record

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:29:32 CDT

Sweltering may have reached a new record last month, as Oklahoma racked up the country's highest monthly average temperature ever. That's the highest average temperature, for any month, for any state, associate Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus said. According to automated weather recording instruments, the state's average for July was...

Elderly Woman Dies From Heat After A/C Theft

Tim Karan — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:23:12 CDT

Somebody took a lot more than just an air conditioner from an elderly Texas woman. Two days after the 79-year-old reported her $2,500 unit stolen from the back of her home, she died of heat exhaustion, reports the Christian Post . It was the fourth time she had had her...

July Broke, Tied 2,676 Heat Records

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:58:39 CDT

If you live anywhere in the "eastern two-thirds of the United States," you may have noticed that last month was hot. Really hot. So hot that high temperatures broke or tied 2,676 records, which is nearly twice the number from the same period last year, according to the National...

Daytime Heat Is Bad; Nighttime Heat Is Deadly

Tim Karan — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:34:57 CDT

The sun can be brutal during this record heat wave , but it's overnight temperatures that should really worry you, writes Christopher Mims at Grist . In June, Oman recorded the world's highest minimum temperature ever (107.1 degrees), and in many places, minimum night temperatures are rising even faster than daytime...

National Weather Service: 'Do Not Take Threat Lightly'

Matt Cantor — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:01:06 CDT

Twenty-nine states are under advisories as a blistering heat wave continues, MSNBC reports. East Coast temps are projected to hit highs in the 90s and 100s, says a meteorologist, but the heat index—what it feels like—could be closer to 115 degrees through tomorrow, says the National Weather Service....

US Heat Wave Worst Since 1995

Kevin Spak — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:03:43 CDT

At least 22 deaths have now been attributed to the heat wave scorching the US this week, which one AccuWeather meteorologist yesterday predicted would “be more significant and impact a larger area than the deadly 1995 heat wave." That disaster killed a whopping 750 people over four days, but that...

13 Dead as Heat Wave Broils US

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:41:39 CDT

The heat wave currently plaguing the US has broken more than 1,000 heat records and claimed 13 lives, the BBC reports. Eighteen states from Montana to West Virginia are under a National Weather Service heat advisory, with temperatures reaching more than 90 degrees in many states and the heat...

US Swelters in Massive Heat Wave

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:19:57 CDT

Sorry, Americans: No matter where you live, you can expect a hot day—and week. A heat wave that started yesterday is expected to continue scorching the middle of the country as it spreads east, with Plains states experiencing highs topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit today. Much of the rest of...