By Denise Chow - NBC News
The heat wave facing Texas this week has left that state vying for the hottest place on the planet, including the Sahara Desert and parts of the Persian Gulf.
Texas has been like a furnace for weeks as a severe heat wave now spreads to the lower Mississippi Valley and the Southeast area.
Over the past week, several cities in the state, including San Angelo and Del Rio recorded or exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), temperatures that are more common at this time of year in North Africa and the Middle East.
A man takes a breather from the heat, as he sets up a fence in Houston, Texas, on June 27, 2023.
The Texas Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT), the state's power grid operator, said energy consumption peaked Tuesday as air conditioner use soared, Reuters reported. ERCOT was expecting another record on Wednesday.
A thermal dome or heat dome has caused dangerously high temperatures and humidity throughout the state. Local officials have called for precautions to be taken to limit the time people spend outside.
The extreme temperatures have had consequences. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the average number of emergency room visits last week as a result of the heat was 30% higher compared to that same time last year.
Heat dome moves and puts under alert of high temperatures to the Southeast of the country
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In the United States, there are an average of 702 heat-related deaths each year, according to the CDC. The National Weather Service has said heat causes more deaths in the country than any other weather event, including tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.
An animated graphic released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed how surface air temperatures have intensified over Mexico and the central and southern United States since May 1.
Multiple studies have shown that climate change is increasing the frequency, severity and duration of extreme heat waves. A recent analysis by Climate Central, a nonprofit research group based in New Jersey, found that man-made global warming made this month's heat wave in Texas and Mexico at least five times more likely to occur.
Extreme heat, storms and tornadoes will continue to affect millions of people in the U.S.
June 27, 202300:26
Extreme heat conditions were expected to persist Wednesday across Texas, with many places experiencing triple-digit temperatures.
Meanwhile, some 87 million people in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast are at risk of poor air quality due to smoke from Canada's wildfires.
The National Weather Service said in an update early Wednesday that the heat wave is expected to "expand northward over the middle Mississippi Valley," causing high temperatures that won't drop overnight.
Forecasters have said much of the South will experience extreme heat and humidity conditions that will persist even after the July 4 holiday.