Little relief in sight from onslaught of searing heat and rising floodwaters in parts of US, 2 dead

PHOENIX (AP) — The onslaught of searing temperatures and rising floodwaters struck parts of the United States again on Wednesday with Phoenix breaking an all-time temperature record and rescuers pulling people from deluged homes and vehicles in Kentucky.

Forecasters said there was little relief in sight from days of extreme weather for some areas of the country.

Miami has endured a heat index of at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or more for weeks, with temperatures expected to rise this weekend. In Kentucky, meteorologists warned of a “life-threatening situation” in two communities, Mayfield and Wingo, where more rain was expected after flash flooding from waves of thunderstorms.

More storms threatened the Blue Grass state as the National Weather Service also issued flash flood watches and warnings in nearby states. Forecasts expect as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could fall in the area where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

The weather system is then forecast to move Thursday and Friday over New England, where the ground remains saturated after recent floods. In Connecticut, a mother and her 5-year-old daughter died after being swept down a swollen river Tuesday.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, a search continued for two children caught in flash flooding Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Phoenix broke an all-time record Wednesday morning for a warm low temperature at 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.1 degrees Celsius), a dangerous sign that many residents could be growing more vulnerable to heat-related illness because they cannot cool off adequately overnight.

The previous record was 96 degrees Fahrenheit (35.6 degrees Celsius) in 2003, the weather service reported.

Heat-related deaths continue to rise in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. Public health officials reported Wednesday that there six more heat-associated fatalities last week, bringing the this year’s total so far to 18. Heat is suspected in another 69 deaths under investigation.

There were 425 confirmed heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County last year during the region’s hottest summer on record, with more than half of them occurring in July. Eighty percent of the deaths occurred outside.

Phoenix, a desert city of more than 1.6 million people, had set a separate record Tuesday among U.S. cities by marking 19 straight days of temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or more.

No other major city –- defined as the 25 most populous in the United States -– has had any stretch of 110-degree (43.3-degree) days or 90-degree (32.2-degree) nights longer than Phoenix, said weather historian Christopher Burt of the Weather Company.

On Tuesday, Phoenix had reached 117 degrees (47.2 Celsius) by 3 p.m. Many residents were confined indoors, turning the usually vibrant metropolis into a ghost town.

Across the country, Miami marked its 16th straight day of heat indexes in excess of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius). The previous record was five days in June 2019.

“And it’s only looking to increase as we head into the later part of the week and the weekend,” said Cameron Pine, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The region has also seen 38 consecutive days with a heat index threshold of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).

“And in addition to that we have very warm sea surface temperatures that are five to seven degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal … there really is no immediate relief in sight,” Pine said.

Human-caused climate change and a newly formed El Nino are combining to shatter heat records worldwide, scientists say.

The entire globe has simmered to record heat both in June and July. Nearly every day of this month, the global average temperature has been warmer than the unofficial hottest day recorded before 2023, according to University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.

Atmospheric scientists say the global warming responsible for unrelenting heat in the Southwest also is making this kind of extreme rainfall a more frequent reality, because clouds hold more moisture as the temperature rises, resulting in more destructive storms.

In Connecticut, state fire officials said a mother and young daughter were swimming in the Shetucket River in Sprague when they were overwhelmed by currents running high after New England’s recent heavy rains. They were found unconscious downstream and taken to a hospital. The mother, a woman in her 30s, died Tuesday. State police said the daughter died Wednesday.

And in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, searchers are still seeking two young siblings who were visiting from South Carolina and trapped in what one fire chief called “a wall of water” that hit their family and killed their mother Saturday. Four other people also died in those flash floods.

Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Wednesday to help rain-swollen communities, including Mayfield.

With more rain on the way, Sheriff Jon Hayden in Graves County urged drivers to stay off the roads.

“Many roads have been washed out, many cars have driven into water and drowned out,” Hayden warned on social media.