In The South, It's Dangerously Hot
The South sizzled beneath a relentless sun for a sixth straight day Wednesday, with more of the same expected Thursday. Officials in Memphis reported three more deaths in which heat was a factor – including an Elvis fan at the Graceland campsite – raising that city's death toll to eight in just over a week.
Much of the Southeast was under a heat advisory as temperatures topped 100 degrees for the 10th consecutive day in places, fueling brush fires and increasing the number of people seeking medical help. The high of 105 degrees in St. Louis broke a 71-year-old record.
It was just as hot in Memphis on Wednesday. Hospital workers passed out free bottles of water to thousands of Elvis Presley fans who filled Graceland's tourism complex Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of his death.
Temperatures in Memphis were forecast to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit at least through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. A 32-year-old man was found dead outside his apartment, which had no air conditioning, officials said.
"Unfortunately, many of these deaths have been in areas that are considered unsafe, poorer areas of town where people don't have air conditioning, but they're too afraid to open their windows," Shelby County Medical Examiner Karen E. Chancellor said.
Also Wednesday, a man died of what appeared to be heatstroke while preparing for a county fair east of Nashville.
In St. Louis, two more heat-related deaths brought the city's heat wave toll to five, and Mayor Francis Slay urged citizens to check on relatives, friends and neighbors to ensure their safety.Mark Strassmann Blogs On the Extreme Heat
In Alabama, State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson said the heat wave is the worst in the state since 1980, when temperature soared for weeks, killing 125 people.
This year's temperatures are similar, but the death count is down dramatically, Wilson said. So far only one death in the state has been described as "possibly heat related."
In Arlington, Texas, early this week, a security camera showed a playground catching fire. Officials suspect spontaneous combustion — the heat actually ignited rotted wood chips, reports Strassmann. Twenty other playgrounds were closed as a precaution.
In Mississippi, a highway south of Jackson actually buckled from the heat.
South Carolina and Missouri each have reported one heat-related death, and Illinois blamed three deaths on the heat since Thursday. Kentucky officials said the heat may have been to blame for one death, but that had not yet been confirmed.