Health experts warn dangerous nighttime heat poses greatest risk
Another week of scorching heat across the United States is bringing heightened health risks in the coming days, as overnight temperatures provide little relief, the National Weather Service said.
The weather service forecast that more than 90 temperature records across the country will be tied or broken through Wednesday, with the majority of those marks being nighttime heat records.
Health experts said nighttime temperatures that fail to drop are even more dangerous than daytime highs that spike, because the body receives no opportunity to cool down and recover.
The summer has already begun in sweltering fashion across large parts of the U.S., driven by the persistent heat dome that forecasters expect to cover much of the territory this week. The scorching temperatures of recent weeks have caused heat-related deaths in New Jersey and have contributed to stoking wildfires in the western U.S., according to the National Weather Service.