In New Jersey alone, the heat is suspected to have caused at least 19 deaths since Thursday. According to the state's health director, Raynard Washington, people have died outdoors and in vehicles, but most at home.
Unfortunately, many of these people were found in homes without air conditioning.
Governor Mikie Sherrill describes the weather as “the warmest period we have seen in over 14 years.”
A long list of places in the affected area have recorded heat records, in some places over 40 degrees.
After the heat, storms and thunderstorms moved in, knocking down trees and power lines and snapping utility poles. Up to 1.2 million customers were completely or temporarily without power in parts of the central, eastern and southern United States on Sunday.
