Excessive heat bakes much of US

Roger Britt looks through a row of snap peas as he choses an assortment of vegetables for his dinner from a community garden in downtown Jackson, Miss., Monday, June 13, 2022. Britt braved the oppressive heat for an hour for a sackful of green beans, tomatoes, snap peas and okra. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Roger Britt looks through a row of snap peas as he choses an assortment of vegetables for his dinner from a community garden in downtown Jackson, Miss., Monday, June 13, 2022. Britt braved the oppressive heat for an hour for a sackful of green beans, tomatoes, snap peas and okra. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

More than 100 million Americans are being warned to stay indoors if possible as high temperatures and humidity settle in over states stretching through parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas.

The National Weather Service Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said Monday 107.5 million people will be affected by combination of heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and excessive heat watches through Wednesday.

The heat wave, which set several high temperature records in the West, the Southwest and into Denver during the weekend, moved east into parts of the Gulf Coast and the Midwest on Monday and will expand to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said.

St. Louis, Memphis, Minneapolis and Tulsa are among several cities under excessive heat warnings, with temperatures forecast to reach about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, accompanied by high humidity that could make conditions feel close to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

In Jackson, Mississippi, residents braved temperatures reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday to complete their chores. Roger Britt, 67, ventured to a neighborhood garden in search of vegetables for dinner.

Britt thinks the weather in Jackson has been more unpredictable in recent years.

"It was so cold this past winter, so I know it's going to be a hot summer," he said.

Many municipalities announced plans to open cooling centers, including in Chicago, where officials started alerting residents Monday about where they could find relief from the heat. The city plans to open six community service centers today and Wednesday and said in a news release that people could also cool off in 75 public libraries in the city.

The city stepped up efforts to respond to heat waves after more than 700 people, many of them elderly, died in a 1995 heat wave. The effort also comes after three women died in a senior housing facility during a brief heat wave last month, raising concerns about the city's ability to respond to brutally hot weather.

In North Carolina's Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, the local government opened cooling stations and the area transit system was offering free rides to some of the locations.

And in South Carolina, poll workers are preparing for what could be one of the hottest primary election days ever today, with highs forecast to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity making it feel closer to 110.

Poll managers are trying to find ways to protect people who must stand outside to vote. One saving grace may be turnout for the midterm primaries are often much lower than presidential elections. Another is the state allowed early voting for the first time and more than 110,000 ballots have already been cast.

  photo  Workers brave the oppressive heat in Jackson, Miss., as they reroof the Barfield Complex, Monday, June 13, 2022. Heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and excessive heat watches were issued over states stretching through parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
 
 
  photo  Miles Nugent, 9, reacts to getting a cold spray of water on his back at the spray park as he plays with his family at Legion Park in Owensboro, Ky., on June 13, 2022. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m. on Wednesday with heat index values of 105 to 115 degrees. (Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)
 
 
  photo  Children play in the sand and the water at Loyola Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  People relax in the sand and make a sandcastle at Loyola Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side in Chicago, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  Two people sit on a break wall and chat near Leone Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  A person paddle boards near Leone Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side in Chicago, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  Children play on the swings at Loyola Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side in Chicago, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  A person sits at a table at Daley Plaza in the loop, Monday, June 13, 2022, in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
 
 
  photo  Roger Britt says the high temperatures have caused the squash to go bad, after picking an assortment of vegetables for his dinner in a community garden in downtown Jackson, Miss., Monday, June 13, 2022. Britt braved the oppressive heat for an hour for a sackful of green beans, tomatoes, and okra. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)