Eastern half of U.S. endures another long day of dangerous heat

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East endured another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures Sunday as a rare June heat wave continued to grip much of the U.S.

Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory. So were parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, the National Weather Service said.

Sunday marked the second straight day of extreme heat across the Midwest and East Coast. Heat indices on Saturday hit 103 F (39.4 C) in Chicago and 101 F (38.3 C) in Madison, Wisconsin, turning that city’s annual naked bike ride into a sticky and sweaty affair.

Meteorologists say a phenomenon known as a heat dome, a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is responsible for the extreme temperatures.

Lynn Watkins, 53, is the director of Sacred Hearts Day Care in Sun Prairie, a Madison suburb. She said that she tried to sit outside Saturday to grill but it was so hot she had to go inside. She plans to cancel all outdoor activities at the day care on Monday with highs around 93 F (33.8 C) forecast.

“I can’t stand being outside when it’s like this,” she said. “I just want to sit in my air conditioning.”

The temperature reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) in the Chicago area by 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Forecasts called for heat indices of between 100 and 105 degrees F (37.7 to 40.5 degrees C).

The heat index in Pittsburgh was expected to top 105 F. The temperature in Columbus, Ohio, was 77 F (25 C) at 8:30 a.m. Highs there were expected to reach 97 F (36 C) with a heat index around 104 F (40 C).

Forecasts called for a heat index of 100 F in Philadelphia on Sunday, with a 108 F (42.2 C) heat index on Monday.

The city’s public health department declared a heat emergency Sunday lasting until Wednesday evening. Officials directed residents to air-conditioned libraries, community centers and other locations, and set up a “heat line” staffed by medical professionals to discuss conditions and illnesses made worse by the heat. At Lincoln Financial Field, officials said each fan attending Sunday’s FIFA World Cup match would be allowed to bring in one 20-ounce (0.6-liter) plastic bottle of water.

With temperatures in the mid-80s, Maryland’s Rehoboth Beach was crowded Sunday.

“It’s only going to get worse,” said beachgoer Vak Kobiashvili. “People are trying to get out to the beach before it’s too hot to really even manage to be outside.”

Kobiashvili said even his dog didn’t want to be outside.

“East Coast weather, at least from my perspective, is just very sweaty in the summer,” he said. “It’s that walking through a swamp kind of feeling.”

Forecasters warned the heat index in Cromwell, Connecticut, would reach 105 F on Sunday, which could make life brutal for golfers Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley as they compete during the final round of the Travelers Championship. The index on the TPC River Highlands course stood at 98 degrees F (36.6 degrees C) at 3:18 p.m. Fans sought shelter under trees and on air-conditioned benches. Many lined up for water at a hydration station near the ninth green.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, playing against the Cardinals in St. Louis, and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton, facing the Cubs in Chicago, got sick Saturday while playing in the extreme heat.

The heat is expected to persist into the coming week, with the hottest temperatures shifting eastward. New York City is expected to see highs around 95 F (35 C) on Monday and Tuesday. Boston is on track for highs approaching 100 F (37.7 C) on Tuesday, and temperatures in Washington, D.C., were expected to hit 100 F on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mark Gehring, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sullivan, Wisconsin, said this level of heat is not uncommon during the summer months in the U.S., although it usually takes hold in mid-July or early August. The most unusual facet of this heat wave is the sheer amount of territory sweltering under it, he said.

“It's basically everywhere east of the Rockies,” he said, referring to the Rocky Mountains. “That is unusual, to have this massive area of high dewpoints and heat.”

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Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, video journalist Mingson Lau in Rehoboth Beach, Maryland, and AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Cromwell, Connecticut, contributed to this report.