Top > World > 2006 > July > 2006-07-20

Heat Wave in the U.S. Sparks Warnings

Meteorologists are asking Americans, particularly those living in the northeastern part of the country, to brace for hotter temperatures as they predict the heat wave now affecting the region will manage to linger over much of the region over the coming weekend. At least three deaths are being attributed because of the heat wave. The rising temperatures are also being blamed for a New York subway train to lose power this week.

Out on the West Coast, communities in California have reported temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Redding, California, about 160 miles north of Sacramento, the capital, reached 110 degrees, Grand Junction, Colorado, hit 101 degrees, moving toward the midwest, Russell, a town in Kansas, hit 108 degrees. In Wisconsin, a storm in Milwaukee provided residents with a bit of relief as the temperature dropped to 65 degrees compared to earlier forecasts upwards of 75 degrees.

In the state of Oklahoma`s Lincoln Country, Highway Patrol Captain Stewart Meyer said the heat there likely also caused a trail derailment in the area, similar to the way that the train power outage occurred in New York. There were no reported injuries because of the incident. Wisconsin Public Service Corp., spokeswoman Marilynn Bazett-Jones said, "Hopefully with the storms it brought some cool air and people can open their windows.