Scorching temperatures rock swaths of U.S.

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(NewsNation) — Sweltering heat continues to batter the United States as people from Boston to Arizona battle temperatures reaching over 100 degrees.

Officials, particularly in the Northeast and Deep South where temperatures are particularly high, are urging people to seek shelter, drink lots of water and check in on elderly neighbors and relatives as the scorching heat is expected to carry into the weekend.

Temperatures in Phoenix are expected to reach 112 degrees on Friday. In Little Rock, Arkansas, highs were expected to hover around 100 degrees. In Boston, temperatures are expected to reach 98 degrees this weekend.

Texas is reeling under the heat possibly worse than any other state. Roughly 99% of the state is facing drought conditions and the water supply in cities such as Fort Worth is being heavily taxed.

Wildfires are raging in parts of the West, and Dallas County just recorded its first heat-related death of the year, that of a 66-year-old woman who had underlying conditions.

Fort Worth has recorded 200 heat-related water main breaks in the past 30 days. Officials say the ground is cracking and shifting under the strenuous heat, causing the city’s old cast iron pipes to break. The city set an all-time high on Wednesday for gallons of water used at 318 million.

Dylan Schoenfeld, 9, of California, leaps over a fountain while cooling off with his brother Charlie, 5, while on vacation during a summer heat wave, Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Boston. Dangerously high temperatures Thursday threatened much of the Northeast and Deep South as millions of Americans sought comfort from air conditioners, fire hydrants, fountains and cooling centers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

“There’s only been a couple summers that I can actually remember that compare to the one we’re currently in,” said Jason Evans of the Dallas Fire Department.

In Tennessee, the Salvation Army has taken to the streets to hand out water to homeless people struggling in the high temperatures. A heat wave in New York caused a power outage that forced 600 people outside.

Meanwhile, in Arkansas, a fire department showed up at a football camp to hose down kids playing in the blistering conditions.

The United States is not alone in battling crippling heat. Large portions of Europe, from the United Kingdom to Poland, are experiencing devastating heat. There have even been reports of sidewalks melting in Britain from the sweltering temperatures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reuters contributed to this report.