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After a weekend in which large parts of the country dealt with record-setting temperatures that soared above 100 and approached 130 degrees in some areas, Americans are bracing for another week of scorching weather. As of Monday morning, over 100 million Americans were under extreme heat warnings.
"Record-breaking heat is expected each day through mid-week in the Four Corners states, from Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley and South Florida. Daytime highs will routinely reside in the triple digits in the Desert Southwest and deep in the heart of Texas," the National Weather Service said.
Residents in the Southwest will continue to deal with near-record temperatures while the heatwave stretches toward the Gulf Coast and Southeast, where high temperatures will combine with high levels of humidity.
"Farther east, the Gulf Coast and Mid-South can expect daytime highs in the mid-upper 90s that coincide with oppressive dew points, resulting in sweltering heat indices between 105-115F," the NWS added.
The heat will continue to linger after the sun goes down, giving people little reprieve from the high temperatures.
"In addition, daily low temperatures will remain remarkably warm, breaking record warm daily minimums in many cases. This means little in the way of relief for areas desperately needing to cool off from the sizzling daytime highs," the NWS warned.
"The extreme heat and blazing sunshine can cause most individuals to become rapidly dehydrated. People are urged to avoid strenuous activity during the daylight hours, to increase their intake of fluids, and seek an air-conditioned environment when possible to avoid the potential of heat exhaustion and heatstroke," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "Even though many all-time record highs may remain intact during the heat wave, this is still about as hot as it ever gets over the interior Southwest, so it is dangerous and serious."