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Ask anyone in Cleveland, Ohio, and they will tell you it is so hot, the birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground. Ever since temperature record-keeping began in 1931, current temperatures of this summer are shattering record temperatures like glass in a recycling plant. Cleveland isn’t the only state to be suffering. An estimated 141 million Americans living in millions of square miles are wearing as little clothing as publicly possible and drinking gallons of icy smoothies in efforts to stay cool. The heat index, pushed up by high humidity and no wind, in some states tops Death Valley temperatures. Even coastal cities, usually cooled by ocean breezes, have seen thermometers reach over one hundred degrees. And the end is nowhere in sight. Some states reported nearly an entire month of daily temperatures in the triple digits. Unfortunately, the central states have been hit the hardest with the heat wave, according to the National Weather Service. Not only has excessive heat oppressed Americans in these states, but also severe storms have brought little relief and much damage. How are Americans faring in the fight to stay cool? For some, not very well; deaths of approximately two dozen people are blamed on the inescapable heat. Of course, the logical place to find refuge is in a cool, air-conditioned building. However, with staggering demands on energy firms, companies delivering heating and cooling in Cleveland, Ohio , and other areas, are experiencing power outages that affect tens of thousands of people. As neighborhoods spill outside, fire plugs spouting water attract mobs of people and animals seeking innovative ways to stay cool .The nation will endure while it waits anxiously to welcome cool autumn, which will finally lift the smothering blanket of the summer of 2011.
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