Heat wave hits U.S.

Water utilities rejoice…

(CNN) — The dangerous heat wave blamed for as many as 13 deaths spread into the eastern United States on Wednesday, extending its reach across nearly half the U.S. population, officials said.

About 141 million people in a 1 million-square-mile area were under heat advisories and warnings, Justin Kenney, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tweeted.

The National Weather Service said “temperatures in the mid-90s will be possible across the mid-Atlantic states today. High temperatures will near 100 degrees tomorrow across much of the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Southeast. These triple-digit temperatures are forecast to remain in place across the eastern U.S. through Saturday before cooling off slightly to the mid-90s by Sunday.”

While it is unclear how many deaths will ultimately be blamed on the heat, the National Weather Service said 13 fatalities were “potentially related to the heat wave in the Midwest.”