By Jerald Jimenez
Aug 29, 2024, 1:44 PM EDT
The potentially deadly heat has already wreaked havoc in the Northeast and Midwest, but is now affecting the South, where temperatures have broken records and forced authorities to take urgent action.
The city of Chicago, Illinois, experienced a record temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the previous record of 97 degrees. Several schools in the region closed early to ensure the safety of students in the wake of the extreme weather.
The heat then moved east, setting new records in Washington, D.C., with 101 degrees, as well as in Greenwood, Mississippi, with 103 degrees.
The heat has already started in the Midwest and Northeast, but on Thursday, the South will be in the spotlight. Record temperatures are expected in cities such as Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Louisville, Kentucky.
Heat could reach 100 degrees in Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina; 102 degrees in Nashville, Richmond, Virginia, Birmingham, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina; 103 degrees in Raleigh and Charleston, West Virginia; and a scorching 105 degrees in Jackson, Mississippi.
Friday is forecast to be a day of extreme heat, although the weekend is expected to bring relief with the arrival of cooler air.
The recent heatwave comes after the United States recorded its highest number of heat-related deaths last year, according to a study published in JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Medical Association.
With information from ABC News