Number of the Day

~900: The number of times "this month's summer's searing heat has tied or broken high temperature records" across the US.

Forecasters call the heat wave gripping the central U.S. "unrelenting," and say residents should not expect any relief soon.

Heat advisories and warnings are in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity combine to make being outside uncomfortable for millions.

A half-dozen cities set new all-time highs. On June 15 it hit 105º in Tallahasse, Fla., and on June 26 records were broken or tied in Amarillo, Texas (111º), Borger, Texas (113º), Dalhart, Texas (110º), Childress, Texas (117º) and Gage, Okla. (113º).

In Oklahoma there's no place to hide - Oklahoma City temperatures have been 90 degrees or more for 47 straight days, topping a hundred nearly every day this month. With triple-digit heat possible through September, the city is on pace to break its record for such days (50, set in 1980).

In Enid, Okla., asphalt at a major intersection along U.S. Highway 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat.

The governor asked for a statewide day of prayer in the hopes of divine intervention.

That would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic.

In Chicago and Detroit, they're taking a more earthly and "immediate results" kind of approach by opening cooling centers across the cities. Public health officials in Chicago have urged people to take extra precautions, including "limiting time outdoors, drinking plenty of water and wearing loose fitting clothes. Health officials are also urging the public to keep a close eye on infants and the elderly."

The heat is also adversely affecting wildlife and livestock across the country.

Insert here the ten million global warming jokes made over the extreme winter by people who don't understand or care about the climate crisis.

[H/T to @PeterDaou.]