Unseasonable heat and storms threaten millions as summer arrives early across the U.S.

Unseasonably hot conditions grip much of the U.S. this weekend, with temperatures reaching up to 108°F in several cities and about 26 million people facing extreme heat across the West, Plains and Southeast. The West Coast is also bracing for 80s to 100+ degree days with heat alerts in areas like Bakersfield, Redding, Portland and Seattle. Separately, severe thunderstorms and flash floods threaten 22 million from Texas to Kentucky, including cities such as Kansas City, Tulsa, Wichita and Springfield, MO, with the potential for nocturnal tornadoes and damaging winds. By Sunday, showers could push into the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, potentially affecting as many as 54 million in NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Some of the warming may be linked to El Niño.”,