Blistering heat continues over much of the eastern United States for the third consecutive day , after thunderstorms took at least a dozen lives and knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses.
Emergencies have been declared in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC.
More than two dozen cities in 10 states had record high temperatures on Friday and Saturday, including Columbia, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee and Raleigh, North Carolina, Reuters reports.
The heat wave continued on Sunday for millions of people from the Plains to the mid-Atlantic.
Power companies in some areas say it could take up to a week to restore services.
