The United States suffers a day of extreme weather with heat warnings, severe flooding and power outages for thousands

Heat wave would affect 85 million people in the US 1:49

(CNN)

In just a matter of hours Monday, iconic landmarks in Yellowstone National Park were closed to the public and their trails impassable after torrential rain and rapid melting contributed to unprecedented flooding in one of the national parks. most visited in the United States.

• More than 125 million people are under heat alert in the United States

A helicopter hovering over the area captured images of the destruction: huge chunks of concrete ripped from roads, as the Gardner River swelled out of its banks.

But this was just one of many scenes caused by extreme weather across the United States on Monday.

In a span of 24 hours, communities across the country faced a series of severe weather threats that left hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest, flood-trapped communities in Montana without clean drinking water, tornado warnings in Chicago and millions fighting the stifling heat.

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These are the events due to the extreme weather that the United States suffered this Monday.

Hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest

Severe storms hitting the Midwest and Ohio River Valley left more than 620,000 customers without power as of Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

More than 370,000 outages were recorded in Ohio alone.

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Also, thunderstorms led to a tornado warning in Chicago during the busy evening rush hour, as wind gusts of up to 135 km/h pummeled the city.

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The same storm system brought strong winds and rain to parts of western Ohio, Michigan and northern Indiana.

More than 200 wind reports were recorded in the region, including a 157 km/h gust in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Millions endure dangerous heat

A heat dome that enveloped the Southwest in high temperatures and humidity last week has moved into the central US and has more than 125 million people in the region under heat advisories.

That figure implies that more than a third of the population in the United States endures potentially dangerous levels of heat.

Several cities set afternoon temperature records on Monday, including Asheville, North Carolina, St. Louis and Nashville.

In North Platte, Nebraska, the temperature soared to a high of 42 degrees Celsius.

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The heat will continue to head northeast to the upper Mississippi Valley, western Great Lakes, and the Ohio Valley.

It is also expected to continue to rise Tuesday over the southern mid-Atlantic and southeast, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

More than 100 million people remain under some kind of heat alert Tuesday.

Climate change, key to record temperatures

Excessive heat forecasts forced some schools in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin to cancel classes, close early or take education online this week.

Now, even after this dome of heat subsides, the relief might be short-lived.

Heat waves will become more common and stronger, experts warn.

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"Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves around the world, tipping the scales toward warmer temperatures," said CNN meteorologist and climate expert Brandon Miller.

"In the United States, record hot temperatures are now more than twice as likely to occur compared to record low temperatures," according to the US National Weather Assessment.

Extreme flooding forces closure at Yellowstone in the United States

Flooding washes away bridges and homes in Montana 0:56

Heavy rains and rapid snow melt unleashed extreme flooding and road erosion in Yellowstone National Park and some surrounding communities.

Forcing officials to close the park to visitors and leaving many area residents trapped unable to escape from rising water from damaged roads.

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Communities north of the US park are experiencing drastic flooding, including Park County, Montana, where towns have been cut off and surrounded by water, according to an update on the county's Facebook page.

Flooding washes away parts of a house in Gardiner, Montana, USA.

In nearby Carbon County, Montana, utility lines were compromised by flooding.

So many customers in the town of Red Lodge are without power and officials have issued a boil water advisory, officials said.

The torrential water has left houses with multiple damages, or even completely destroyed, according to images and videos.

A video shows a multi-story house collapsing in the midst of torrential waters and being completely engulfed by the deluge, while the underlying foundation crumbles.

Historic flooding affects Yellowstone Park 0:55

Parts of roads and bridges in Yellowstone National Park also show flood damage, officials said.

Videos the park has posted show large areas of paved roads completely washed out or heavily eroded.

High water levels in the Gardiner River washed out part of the road in Yellowstone National Park. (Credit: National Park Service via AP)

The park began evacuating people Monday due to obstacles on roads and bridges, as well as concerns about more rain forecast and possible water and sewage problems.

Precipitation levels of more than 400% above average in the region, coupled with near-record temperatures causing melting in high-elevation areas, have flooded rivers and streams to record levels.

The Yellowstone River gauge in Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 3.9 meters on Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical crest of 3.3 meters from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows.

CNN's Brandon Miller, Haley Brink, Joe Sutton, Raja Razek, Sara Smart, Amanda Jackson and Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.

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