Little Respite Expected From Extreme Heat in US on Sunday

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, July 08, 2012

Temperatures are expected to drop only a little in much of the United States, where at least 30 people have died in a prolonged heat wave. However, relief is on the way, forecasters assured.

Excessive heat warnings remain for cities including Washington, New York and Philadelphia, but temperatures are likely to drop on Monday, the National Weather Service said.

A 13-degree drop from Saturday's record high of 106 is expected in St. Louis, even as Philadelphia, Washington, and Indianapolis, where temperatures crossed the 100 mark on Saturday, could see the heat dropping to the 90s or 80s on Sunday. Residents in Louisville, Ky., can expect a 10-degree drop after 105-degree temperatures Saturday.

A cold front is expected to move south and bring relief from the record-setting heat in much of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states by Monday, officials explained. However, thunderstorms and strong winds might accompany the cooler temperatures, they warned.

More than 30 deaths have been reported from across the country due to heat-related incidents, The Associated Press says.

A 4-month-old girl died and a 16-month-old girl was hospitalized Saturday in separate incidents in suburban Indianapolis when both were found trapped in cars during near-record 105-degree heat.

Reuters reported the death of three people this week from heat-related illnesses in Ohio, where a late-June storm knocked out power to more than 600,000 people.

Authorities discovered the bodies of two women, one in her late 60s and the other in her mid-80s, and a man in his 70s, in homes without electricity, Dr. Jeff Lee, deputy coroner in Licking County, Ohio, was quoted as saying.

In West Virginia, about 120,000 people remained without power on Saturday since storms hit the state late last month.

Meanwhile, the heat caused highways to buckle in Illinois and Wisconsin. In Maryland, heat likely caused rails to kink and led a Metro train to partially derail in Prince George's County on Friday afternoon.