Oppressive Heat Wave to Affect Much of the Country

It's July and it's hot out there:

An oppressive and potentially deadly summertime mix of sizzling temperatures and high humidity baked a large swath of the country again on Sunday, pushing afternoon heat indexes in dozens of cities to dangerous levels.

Forecasters warned the heatwave would persist through much of the coming week and cautioned residents in more than three dozen states to take extra precautions.

The National Weather Service posted excessive heat warnings for much of the country's midsection, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, as well as South and North Dakota, where forecasters predicted heat indexes could hit 115 degrees.

"This will likely be the most significant heat wave the region has experienced in at least the last five years," the weather service said.

Cities especially hard hit by the heat included Rapid City, South Dakota, Springfield, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where AccuWeather.com meteorologists were predicting long-standing high-temperature records would fall this week.

Kristina Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, predicted the heatwave will affect more than 40 states.

My son just spent a week in Oklahoma where temperatures and humidity were worse than Las Vegas. I think it was 112 the first day he was there and 104+ the rest of the week. Plus they threw in some thunderstorms, so you know the humidity was up there. Pretty uncomfortable compared to what we're used to out here.

However, that's what happens in July. And the countdown to Al Gore proclaiming the whole thing is proof of global warming...3...2...1...