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First came the heat, then killer storms, followed by more summer sizzle. Millions of people across nine states were reeling without power Saturday to deal with thermostat-popping temperatures after fierce thunderstorms pounded parts of the Midwest and Atlantic Seaboard. At least eight people were killed. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell declared an state of emergency in his state as crews worked around the clock to assess the damage and restore power.
Joseph Rigby, president of electric company Pepco, said it could be a week before power is fully back up in some areas of Washington D.C. "Given the damage, you can understand this is going to take some time," he said. "The wild card is the weather." The storms raced east Friday from Indiana through Ohio and into West Virginia and the nation's capital. In all, 3.6 million homes were without power Saturday morning; nearly 1 million in Virginia alone. The power outages and debris littering roads led to traffic disruptions and other headaches.
Amtrak service between Washington and Philadelphia was expected to be restored by noon Saturday after the storm downed trees and wires across tracks. In the nation's capital, 19 intersections were without traffic lights Saturday. The aftermath of the storm was compounded Saturday by a forecast of another sweltering summer day. One in three Americans were baking Saturday in an area of nearly 600,000 square miles experiencing unusually warm weather. Temperatures tipped the 100-degree mark in several cities Friday, including St. Louis, Richmond, Nashville, Washington and Atlanta, the National Weather Service said.
In many places, it felt much hotter than the thermostat reading. "If you don't have a good pair of boots, it'll burn clear through to your feet," said roofer Zach Bruner in Evansville, Indiana, where he said the 103-degree temperatures were spiking to 130 on the job site. The bad news? Relief is nowhere in sight as the extreme heat is expected to continue through the weekend. In storm-affected areas, many people had no electricity to run fans, air-conditioning and refrigerators. Even in places where power was not disrupted, people with no air-conditioning were advised to spend the day in a library or a cooling center to avoid heat exhaustion. Atlanta opened five cooling centers in anticipation of another day of triple-digit heat.
More Heat, storms bring misery to millions - CNN.com