Philadelphia – Cheryl Kennedy had just one word to describe the stagnant, sticky, downright dense heat that blanketed the downtown business district and most of the nation.
“Insanity. Insanity!” she said.
After a long sip from her bottled water, Kennedy added, “This is not fit for human beings.”
She and millions of Americans may have no choice. The heat wave that has gripped most of the nation, with temperatures in the 90s and 100s since the weekend, showed few signs of abating and may persist until next weekend in some areas.
Cities across the country took steps to ease the health threat and conserve energy. At least five deaths have been blamed on the heat.
A 76-year-old Oklahoma City man was found dead in a house where the air conditioner was broken, officials said Tuesday, and the body of a 62-year-old woman was discovered in a home that had air conditioning, but it was not turned on. Three other Oklahoma deaths were suspected to be linked to the heat.
A 60-year-old woman was found dead of lung disease and heat stress in her Philadelphia home.
In Arkansas, authorities blamed the heat for at least one death but did not release any details.
On Saturday, a 3-year-old boy died in South Bend, Ind., after apparently locking himself inside a car in 90-degree heat.
In Washington Square Park in Manhattan, sweaty residents cheered when a large fountain shot on, and they started wading in the ankle-deep water. No one worried about whether it was dirty.
“It’s too hot to care about that stuff right now,” said Alex Glowacki of Brooklyn. “And anyway, it doesn’t look all green and slimy like it usually does, so I feel OK without shoes on.”
Heat advisories and warnings were lifted for much of Pennsylvania. Parts of the Midwest also got a little relief from a Canadian cool front.
The Northeast was hoping to get a break starting Tuesday night, with scattered showers and thunderstorms expected for parts of the region, but the heat was likely to persist in the southern Plains until Friday. Forecasts in Nebraska called for temperatures around 110 degrees today.
