U.S. sees floods, tornadoes and record heat

Tonight, the city of Louisville in Central Mississippi is under a flash flood warning after more than a foot of rain fell in just four hours. - My store is currently under water.

Some people needed to be rescued from their homes and their cars. The Winston County Sheriff's Department said it saved at least four drivers. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported so far. And across a third of the country, it was another day of record sweltering heat with more than 120 million Americans under excessive heat alerts. In Southern California, hot and dry conditions are fueling fires in Riverside County. - Today is a busy day for Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department. It's going to be a busy season for these firefighters.

Near Chicago's O'Hare Airport, a tornado touched down Wednesday, sending thousands of passengers scrambling for shelter and canceling hundreds of flights. Residents are cleaning up after several other suspected twisters tore through nearby communities, damaging homes and uprooting trees. In McCook Illinois, a storm struck Skyline Motel.

Six rooms are completely-- the roof is completely gone.

--while owner Brian Patel was at a movie theater.

Seems like impossible mission I have in my hand right now.

Fortunately, the guests were gone. Must be very difficult.

It's a family business. My kids-- they were born here. They grew up here. It's hard to see. It just got destroyed. - And Roxana Saberi joins me now from Countryside, Illinois. So what are the cleanup efforts looking like there?

Well, John, you can hear some of the cleanup efforts right across the street from where I am. There is a wood chipper that is running strong. It's taking some of the trees that have been downed here and turning them into wood chips. There are several trees that have been down in this neighborhood, where a tornado ripped through this neighborhood. We're about 15 miles southwest of Chicago. It tore off half of the roof of the house behind me, under the blue tarp back there. Residents are still assessing the damage. The National Weather Service says at least seven tornadoes tore through Illinois. And they say they still have teams out also surveying the damage, John. - And now back to the heat, cities across the country are seeing new record highs. How bad is it going to get?

Well, the heat dome hanging over the western and southern US is expected to thicken into the weekend and into next week, and it shows little sign of letting up soon. Across parts of the US, the humidity and heat are expected to continue to make dehydration and heat stroke a threat. Now heat indexes could hit 110 to 120 degrees. Scientists say climate change is making these heat waves longer, more frequent and intense, and not just in the US, as you mentioned earlier, but in other parts of the world. And today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the NOAA, said the Earth experienced its hottest June on record. Scientists say this year could turn out to be the hottest year on record, John. - Roxana Saberi in Countryside, Illinois, thank you.