More than 700,000 Americans were without power Sunday evening, and about 6 million across the United States were at risk of severe weather, according to CNN.
The outages were concentrated in the southeastern United States, where there were severe thunderstorms in the Ohio Valley as well as Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. There was a suspected tornado in Bargersville, Indiana, south of Indianapolis.
There were also reports of large hailstones in northern Kentucky and southern Indiana.
At least half of the U.S. population has faced a severe weather alert since May 1, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which has been tracking alerts sent out by the National Weather Service. About one in 10 alerts contains a clear reference linking them to the climate crisis, Juan Declet Barreto, a leading sociologist on climate vulnerability at the University of California, told The Guardian earlier this month. Scientists have established a clear link between the climate crisis and extreme weather events.
Last weekend, about 100,000 residents lost power in Shreveport, Louisiana, due to storms that struck the Texas region and moved to Louisiana. The crisis left them facing extreme temperatures of up to 107 degrees without electricity to operate air conditioners and other cooling methods.
Nearly 50 million Americans, including people living in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, faced high temperature warnings on Sunday. High temperatures are expected to continue through the Fourth of July weekend.
A heat dome has settled over Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. A heat dome is caused by hot ocean air that becomes trapped in the atmosphere. An average of 702 heat-related deaths occur each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Temperatures in Texas soared above 100 degrees and contributed to the deaths of a man and his stepson who were hiking in Big Bend National Park. Temperatures were around 119°F (48°C) and the stepson became ill while walking. The father died in a car accident while searching for help.
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Amid these high temperatures, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new law last week that will prevent Austin and Dallas from implementing measures requiring construction workers to take a 10-minute break every four hours.
