37 million Americans on alert for dangerous heat

There is no relief in sight for tens of millions of Americans who are bracing for steamy temperatures this week.

The National Weather Service has issued dangerous heat alerts for 37 million residents from the Pacific Northwest to the deserts in the Southwest -- even stretching east toward the Florida Panhandle.

Heat alerts will extend in the Southwest through the end of next weekend, forecasts show. Phoenix has reached at least 110 degrees for nine consecutive days, with the pattern of scorching temperatures expected to continue for another week.

This could be the worst heat wave on record for the region, which could see an increase of heat-related illness in the coming days, according to NWS. Last year, Phoenix reached 10 consecutive days at 110 degrees or beyond but the record -- 18 days -- could be broken in the upcoming stretch of temperatures in the triple digits.

In the Southeast, heat indexes in the Florida Panhandle are expected to reach near 110 degrees on Sunday, with temperatures over 100 degrees predicted for nearly the entire state.

A record high was measured in Miami on Saturday at 96 degrees, beating the previous record of 95 degrees set in 2020.

It has been the hottest start to the year for places like Del Rio, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida; Miami; Orlando; Key West and Fort Myers, Florida.

El Paso, Texas, also broke a record on Saturday, hitting 108 to surpass the 1951 record of 107 degrees.

The entire planet has been experiencing record-high temperatures over the past week.

Earth reached an average global temperature of 17.17 degrees Celsius, or 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit, on Saturday -- the fifth-hottest day ever recorded.

For four days in a row last week, the planet reached its hottest day ever recorded as regions all over the world endure dangerous heat.