Atlanta, Georgia, equaled its June 22 record at 98 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, while about 80 miles south, Macon set a new heat record for the day at 105 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Zoo Atlanta announced on its website that it will close early on Wednesday and Thursday due to “extremely high heat indices”. Zoo care teams will monitor and inspect all animal habitats several times a day to ensure their safety, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Davis told CNN. Nashville recorded its first day of 100 degrees for the first time in nearly a decade, according to the weather service. The city also broke its temperature record for June 22, reporting 101 degrees just before 3 p.m., the service said.
Record high temperatures were also reported in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the meteorological service.
Part of the widespread extreme weather
This is the second heat wave in so many weeks for many parts of the country. A huge heat dome in the eastern United States and Midwest set record high temperatures in several cities last week. Other parts of the country have also faced extreme weather, including historic floods, forest fires and severe storms.
And there is no relief.
Heat in the south and the plains is expected to continue to rise in the coming days, with much of the region expected to see more records, the service said.
About 65% of the US population will see temperatures above 90 degrees next week, and nearly 55 million will be suffocated at temperatures above or above 100.
Authorities in New Orleans have warned that the heat index could reach 115 degrees this week, and the city has set up several cooling shelters.
On Wednesday, the area feels the heat. By the afternoon, both Pascagoula and Slidel had reached 100 degrees, while the Button Rouge and Gulfport thermometers recorded 98 degrees, the New Orleans Meteorological Service said on Twitter.
At least five people died
At least five people died from heat-related causes last week – four in Georgia and one in Tennessee.
Energy companies in the South, surveyed by CNN earlier, said they were prepared for the heat wave this week.
“This is our Super Bowl, which we’re preparing for all year long,” Tennessee Valley TVA spokesman Scott Fiedler told CNN. “TVA is extremely well positioned to meet the electricity consumption during the hot weather this week. As you know, the temperature and the load go hand in hand. So we have to see high loads for the rest of this week.”
CNN’s Taylor Ward and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.
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