Just when you thought the heat couldn't get any worse, it looks like it will. On Friday afternoon, temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit from Chicago to Kansas City, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio, and many places in between. Heat watches, warnings and advisories touched 25 states -- an area spanning roughly one-quarter of the nation and encompassing more than 115 million people, or more than one in three Americans. Around 4 p.m., the thermometer in St. Louis read 105 degrees, the ninth straight day it has topped the century mark in that Missouri city. That may sound bad, but it's relatively cool compared with the 110 degrees the National Weather Service is forecasting for Saturday.
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About 350,000 customers in east, central U.S. didn't have power Friday night
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Temperatures top 100 in Chicago, Kansas City, Columbus and elsewhere
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It'll get hotter in spots Saturday, with 100-plus likely in Washington, New York
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6 heat-related deaths are reported in Chicago area and 3 in Rock County, Wisconsin
And in @placeholder, the thermometer is expected to reach 103 degrees, and the heat index will make it feel like 113.