Closed captioning of: Nearly 900 heat records already broken in July
>>>
chunk of the country is feeling hot under the collar as a prolonged
heat wave
starts to take a dangerous hold across the middle of the country. by tomorrow at this time, temperatures will soar into the triple digits as far as minnesota and no, this is not
par for the course
in july. this month, we have seen more than 900 temperatures meet r or exceed all time records and july is only half over. from atlanta, charles hadlock begins our coverage.
>> reporter:
texas is already in its worst drought in decades and again this weekend, it's broiling in the heat. today is the 15th day in a row of temperatures at or above 100 degrees in dallas. now, that intense heat is moving northward into states not accustomed to it. in minneapolis with the humidity, it felt like 98. even nighttime brings no relief. it's going to be the overnight lows as well. and that can be devastating for people without air-conditioning. there's no air-conditioning at all in part of chicago where storms this week knocked out electricity. at a
county fair
in missouri,
karen carpenter
keeps her prized goats cool with fans and a little something extra.
>>
i put
gator aid
in their water.
>> reporter:
in tulsa, so fast, a store manager put up black curtains to block the sun.
>>
when the sun hits it, there's nothing you can do.
>> reporter:
for farmers and ranchers, the problem is much more serious. cattle are being sold to market because pastures are bone dry. the drought stretches from new mexico to the
east coast
. 14% of the
continental u.s.
has endured the driest six months on record since
1895
. from texas to georgia, farmers hoping for
yellow corn
are seeing brown stalks.
>>
we need some rain very desperately.
>> reporter:
but r for most of the country, rain is not in the forecast. only more blistering heat. charles hadlock, nbc
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