If you live anywhere in the "eastern two-thirds of the United States," you may have noticed that last month was hot. Really hot. So hot that high temperatures broke or tied 2,676 records, which is nearly twice the number from the same period last year, according to the National Weather Service. The heat wave "has been relentless," says an NWS rep, even in areas like Maine, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that don't typically deal with severe heat.
Some of the scorching numbers: A record temp of 108 in Newark, NJ; temps above 100 for 27 days of the month in Oklahoma City; 30 consecutive days at 100-plus degrees in Dallas/Fort Worth. At the heat wave's worst, 32 states were affected, with 18 of them under heat advisories. And the miserable conditions are expected to continue through August, USA Today reports. Even so, one Texas director of emergency medicine says early warnings and public education worked: He's only seen "two or three cases a day" of heat exhaustion. (More excessive heat stories.)