OKLAHOMA CITY — As temperatures climbed into the 90s in Steele, N.D., on Sunday, a small window air conditioner in Paul and Betty Smokov’s ranch home couldn’t keep up.
“It’s 82 in the house,” Betty Smokov said. “The heat is really oppressive and sticky.”
That observation could be made anywhere in the central U.S. Heat advisories and warnings were in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity combined to make being outside uncomfortable for millions. One National Weather Service forecaster called the heat wave “unrelenting” and said residents shouldn’t expect any relief soon: A so-called “heat dome” over the region isn’t moving much.
“The trend is not our friend right now,” said Daryl Williams, a forecaster in Norman, Okla.
In Oklahoma City, it was another day of 100-degree heat Sunday, the 27th day this year the city has reached 100 or above. It is even worse in western Oklahoma, where temperatures of 110 or above have been common in recent weeks. In Enid, asphalt on U.S. 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat.
In Chicago, city officials said a half-dozen cooling centers would remain open this week, as temperatures as high as 105 were forecast in Illinois.
In Detroit, people headed toward water for relief, including Marcellus Washington, 65, who wore a fishing hat and sunglasses as he walked through a park on the Detroit River.
“A day like this, you can’t beat it,” he said. “It’s a heavenly day. It’s God’s weather.”
