Oppressive heat and severe storm threats hammer millions across south and central US

By Caitlin Kaiser and Michelle Watson, CNN

(CNN) — More than 50 million people across the south from Arizona to Louisiana are under “oppressive” heat Sunday, and about as many people across the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi valleys are threatened by severe storms.

The heat alerts include much of Texas as well as parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.

“The oppressive heat wave in the south-central U.S. shows no signs of letting up,” the Weather Prediction Center said Sunday afternoon. “Widespread heat-related advisories are in effect for southern Arizona and New Mexico and across most of Texas as temperatures soar once again into the 100s.”

Dangerously high temperatures are forecast to expand into the central Plains and Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley by the middle of the week.

The persistent heat will become “increasingly dangerous and potentially deadly” to those in south and south-central Texas, the weather service has warned, as “many locations in those parts of Texas have already experienced a yearly record number of hours of dangerously high heat index readings.”

This “significant” heat wave is forecast to continue through the beginning of the July 4th holiday week and potentially break several high temperature records across the region.

In addition, millions of people are under risk of severe storms, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Severe storms are expected through Sunday night across parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley and into the mid and Deep South, according to the prediction center.

“The greatest threat for tornadoes, at least a couple of which could be strong, appears to be in central Indiana into western Ohio, and northern Kentucky vicinity through the early evening,” the center said.

Other dangers associated with the storms include frequent lightning, severe thunderstorms, powerful wind gusts and hail, the weather prediction center had said earlier.

By Sunday evening, more than 730,000 customers were without power in the region, with the majority in Georgia, Tennessee and Arkansas, according to poweroutage.us.

Heat leads to at least two deaths in Texas

Meanwhile, the extreme heat is particularly impacting Texas and contributed to at two deaths Friday at the remote Big Bend National Park.

A father and his two stepsons were hiking the Marufo Vega Trail in extreme heat Friday – with temperatures of 119 degrees – when the 14-year-old stepson fell ill and lost consciousness, the National Park Service said in a news release.

The father, 31, hiked to their vehicle to find help, while the other stepson, 21, tried to carry his brother to the trailhead, the service said.

Emergency responders later reached the 14-year-old dead along the trial, the service said. The father’s vehicle was found crashed over an embankment, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, the service said. No further details were provided about the 21-year-old.

The heat has also raised concerns about the capacity of the state’s power authority, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT.

ERCOT said a “Weather Watch” will run through June 30, according to a Facebook post.

“Grid conditions are expected to be normal. Check our social media for daily updates and learn more about #TXANS,” the post said.

ERCOT issues a weather watch about 3-5 days ahead of “significant weather and high demand,” the company’s website said. TXANS, otherwise known as the Texas Advisory and Notification System, is ERCOT’s early notification system, designed to put out alerts “ahead of periods of higher demand,” the power authority’s website said.

Cooling centers opened across state

Austin, Houston and Corpus Christi are among the cities that have opened cooling centers to help residents deal with the heat.

In Austin, the state capital, multiple Parks and Recreation centers serving as cooling centers are extending their normal operating hours to 8 p.m. CT, the city’s website said. All public libraries, except for three, are also extending their hours until 8 p.m., the city added.

The Travis County Community Centers are also serving as cooling centers on Sunday during normal business hours, the city said. Those without transportation to one of the cooling centers can catch a free ride on a city bus, Austin’s Emergency Medical Service public information officer told CNN in an email Sunday.

The city’s Community Health Paramedic program, “has been visiting and checking in with … unhoused neighbors, especially those who are particularly isolated,” and “handing out cases of water for people and pets alike,” the spokesperson told CNN.

“Every Pop-Up Resource Clinic our CHPs are holding this summer will be indoors, with access to air conditioning, cold water, restrooms and a provided lunch,” the spokesperson added.

Houston has opened two “multi-service centers” and a community center as cooling locations Sunday for residents without adequate air conditioning.

The YMCA and dozens of Houston public libraries can also be used as cooling centers, the Houston Health Department said in a release.

“People may seek air-conditioning in city multi-service centers, libraries and recreation centers during normal business hours, even when the Public Health Heat Emergency Plan is not activated,” the department said.

The city will provide free transportation to and from the various cooling centers.

A statement posted on social media by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced an American Red Cross emergency shelter opened Saturday afternoon near Houston to help those who are still without power from storms earlier in the week.

Further, Corpus Christi made six public libraries available to residents as cooling centers over the weekend, the city announced in a Friday news release.

The city said residents would be able to obtain free public transport to the cooling centers.

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CNN’s Christina Maxouris, Joe Sutton, Eric Levenson and Eli Masket contributed to this report.