Weather

CNN - Around 270 million people in the US could see temperatures at or above 90 degrees this week as an intense heat wave ushers in the official start of summer on Thursday. Parts of the Midwest to the Northeast could endure the longest heat wave they've seen in decades, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said. Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be the hottest days of the week for several metropolitan cities, and the surrounding days will only be slightly less brutal. Some areas, including Montpelier, Vermont; Syracuse, New York; and Pittsburgh, haven't seen heat like this in about 30 years. Some affected areas have started to activate heat protocols, including cooling centers to help prevent heat-related illnesses. 

NPR - Several environmental, labor and health care groups are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to treat extreme heat and wildfire smoke as "major disasters." The designation would help states access federal funding during extreme heat events. The groups' petition comes as millions of Americans in the Midwest and Northeast prepare for summer's first big heat wave. So far, FEMA has declined to declare a heat-related disaster for states that have requested aid, NPR's Alejandra Borunda reports. That's because the agency thought the destruction wasn't so severe that states couldn't handle it themselves. But Borunda says it's known that heat kills many more people than disasters like hurricanes. In an extreme heat disaster, FEMA could set up cooling centers, send extra medical personnel and help develop permanent infrastructure to make cities cooler. Administrators say they know FEMA has a role to play in addressing extreme heat, and they're open to the idea, but it's new ground for them.