Extreme Heat Wave Grills Parts of US, Forecasters Warn the Worst Is Yet to Come

Construction worker Fernando Padilla wipes his face as he works in the heat, in Nashville, Tenn., on June 30, 2023. George Walker IV/AP Photo

An extreme heat wave is grilling the southern United States, bringing scorching temperatures and putting over 100 million Americans under various grades of heat alerts, with forecasters warning that the worst is yet to come.

“The heat is going to be expanding across California, Nevada, Arizona and all the way into west Texas into this weekend, and the core of the strongest heat seems to be setting up for Friday through Monday. So we'll be looking at records,” said Tom Frieders, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix.