Much of the Western United States has been baking under an extreme heat wave for so long that Phoenix, Arizona, has now recorded its record 18th consecutive day with temperatures soaring to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
The unwanted record is expected to be extended as sweltering temperatures are likely to stick around throughout the week. Monday also marked the eighth straight day that temperatures failed to drop below 90 degrees — another record.
But it's not just the West that's feeling the burn. On the East Coast, Florida is experiencing its hottest year on record, with Miami setting daily records in the mid-90s and heat indexes soaring near 110.
Heat advisories have also been in effect all across the Lone Star State, where real air temperatures have peaked in the triple-digits for weeks now. Temperatures in El Paso, Texas, have reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 32 straight days, and the National Weather Service expects a heat advisory to be extended throughout the week.
Extreme heat is bearing down on Arizona's homeless population
As Arizona approaches an all-time record for consecutive days above 110 F, advocates say the homeless are at particular risk.
What's going on across the U.S. is far worse than typical summer heat, experts said, and it poses greater risks as global temperatures continue to rise.
"We have very clear evidence that global warming is the primary driver of that increase in the frequency of severe heat and the increase in the co-occurrence of severe heat," said Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh.
But historic heat is not just a health and safety concern. For millions of households, it also comes with a huge financial cost. The national average household electric bill is set to be higher than previous summers, reaching nearly $200 a month. In many major cities, those bills can climb much higher.
"We're expecting this year to be one of the, if not the warmest on record, and we're witnessing that play out in the broader scale of things," said Dan Johnson, Professor at the Department of Geography at Indiana University.
