Many parts of the US are dealing with the highest temperatures in almost 150 years, and the world is literally melting because of it.
The US Northeast has had record-breaking highs as a massive heatwave moves across the country. Cities such as New York, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia all experienced searing heat.
New York City tied its record from 1888 of 96°F, which was right in the peak of the Industrial Revolution. Newark International Airport took the prize with recorded temperatures of 101 degrees.
It’s safe to say the US is being cooked alive under what they’re referring to as a heat dome. It’s expected to continue on, moving across the region, slow cooking all in its path.
When the weather is wet and cold, most of us pray for the sun. But when it gets so hot it’s unbearable outside, we regret it. This hot weather is causing some serious problems with the infrastructure of America.
Infrastructure Failing Under American Inferno
Most things around us are built to a tolerance, be it weight, temperature, or speed. Hitting close to a hundred farenheight is stress testing to an extreme. Footage from across the Northeast states has shown what happens when the world gets hot.
One video shared by a Cape Girardeau, Missouri resident showed the road in his town buckle under the hot American sun. As the temperature climbed, the road warped into a 2-foot mound instantly, throwing a car into the air. At least there’s video evidence to support their far-fetched insurance claim.
But it isn’t only roads that are suffering from the extreme heat. Amtrak is experiencing some adverse effects on both the rails and carriages. Trains are already not the most reliable when it comes to air conditioning, so when one ended up trapped in a tunnel due to buckled rails, with no air conditioning, the situation turned dangerous.
The train became stuck close to Baltimore with no electricity or air conditioning. It took more than an hour for the passengers to be evacuated in the blistering heat.
The US electricity grid is unable to deal with the power requirements of a heat wave. They have been advising people to conserve their power as more people use air conditioning. Con Edison has issued a statement asking people not to use their power too much despite the extreme hot weather across America.
They have said that people should expect blackouts. Maybe they could divert some of the city’s worth of power being used by private tech companies? How many will have to die from heat stroke before they consider it?