Zoo Atlanta announced on its website that it will close early on Wednesday and Thursday due to “extremely high heat indices”. Zoo caregivers will monitor and inspect all animal habitats several times during the day to ensure their safety, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Davis told CNN. Nashville recorded the first day of 100 degrees for the first time in almost a decade, according to the Meteorological Service. The city also broke its temperature record for the date of June 22, reporting 101 degrees just before 3 p.m., the service said. At least 12 record high temperatures were equaled or broken in the eastern United States from Arkansas to Carolina – to New York.
Part of the extreme weather conditions
It is the second heat wave in equal weeks for many parts of the country. A huge heat wave in the eastern United States and the Midwest set record high temperatures in several cities last week. Other parts of the country also experienced extreme weather events, such as historic floods, fires and severe storms. And there seems to be no relief. The heat in the South and the Plains is expected to continue to rise in the coming days with much of the area expected to see more records, the service said. About 65% of the US population will see temperatures above 90 degrees next week and nearly 55 million will be at temperatures above 100 degrees. Officials in New Orleans have warned that the heat index could reach 115 degrees this week and the city has set up several cooling shelters. The area felt hot until Wednesday. By the afternoon, Pascagoula and Slidell had both reached 100 degrees, while the Baton Rouge and Gulfport thermometers were 98 degrees, the New Orleans meteorological service said on Twitter.
At least five people were killed
At least five people have died from heat-related causes in the past week – four in Georgia and one in Tennessee. Electric companies in the South interviewed by CNN earlier said they were prepared for this week’s heat wave. “This is our Super Bowl that we have been preparing for all year,” Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spokesman Scott Fiedler told CNN. “TVA is in a very good position to meet the demand for energy during this week’s hot weather. As you know, temperature and load go hand in hand. So we have to see high loads the rest of this week. . “ CNN’s Taylor Ward and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.
