A heat sentence lies over the southern United States, where over 12,000 heat records have been broken. Photo: AP
Almost a quarter of the approximately 330 million inhabitants of the United States have been affected by the extreme heat. It lies like a lid over the southern parts of the country for at least the whole of this week, writes Metro.
In Phoenix, the temperature was above 37 degrees for the 19th day in a row. According to the authorities, body bags filled with ice are now being used to cool down some of the overheated patients in the city’s hospital.
In several American cities, the temperature may rise to around 38 degrees, according to meteorologists at the Weatherchannel. Among them are New York, Miami, New Orleans and Atlanta. Little Rock in Arkansas can get just over 43 degrees.
Authorities in Texas confirm that Victor Ramos, 67, of Houston was the first to die as a direct result of the extreme heat. A medical examiner determined that he died June 24 of hyperthermia, a condition in which the body temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees and the body can no longer regulate the temperature.
Relatives say Ramos couldn’t afford to fix his broken air conditioner.
– He said during the day that he didn’t feel well, he was tired. I looked at him at nine o’clock in the morning, then he was no longer contactable, says his sister Karla to the local TV channel KHOU.
The World Meteorological Organization is warning that heart attacks and deaths could rise this week due to the extreme heat during the heatwave.
Last week was the hottest week on record, now meteorologists are warning that it could get worse for the rest of the month.
According to the weather service NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 12,000 temperature records have been broken in the United States so far this year.