Texas to Maine suffered ‘dangerous heat wave’ over weekend; El Paso set high temp record

Americans from Texas to Maine sweated out a steamy weekend, as what the National Weather Service described as “a dangerous heat wave” gripped a significant portion of the nation’s midsection and east coast ahead of a Monday cool down for most.

In El Paso, Sunday’s afternoon high temperature of 106 at the airport set a new record for the date, surpassing the prior record of 103; the normal high temp for this time of year is 94.

“It’s brutal,” Jeffrey Glickman said as he paused during a run in Washington, D.C.

The 37-year-old got out early to try to escape the worst of the heat but still cut his route short on an already 90-degree morning.

“You just have to power through it the best you can,” he said.

Many people in areas facing excessive heat this past weekend had no air conditioning, and many cities — like Las Cruces — opened shelters for people to cool off.

Officials in the southern New Mexico community said the cooling stations at community centers and other city buildings such as the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library would be open until 8 p.m. every night.

With record- or near-record-high temperatures, the weather can become especially dangerous for people who don’t get a chance to cool down, experts say. The risks are greater for young children, the elderly and the sick.

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