How people, pets and infrastructure can respond to extreme heat
Extreme heat continues to blanket much of Europe and North America, with some 55 million people across the U.S. facing either heat warnings or advisories as of early Friday and weekend temperatures predicted to reach triple digits in many regions.
"So far this week, 60 daily high-temperature records have been tied/broken as dangerous heat enveloped much of the nation," the National Weather Service Prediction Center tweeted Thursday. "More records are likely to be set over the next week."
That appears to fit with the larger trends, since climate change is making heat waves (as well as droughts and floods) more frequent and intense. And many American adults report that they have personally felt the effects of extreme heat — from health issues to higher electricity bills — in the last several years.
