As the heat wave rages throughout most of the United States until early September, schools are temporarily closing or moving up their dismissal times.
According to NBC, CBS, and local media on the 5th, several school districts in Pennsylvania and Michigan decided to close schools and replace them with online classes due to concerns about the health of students due to the extreme heat this week. Additionally, several school districts in New Jersey announced that they would hold classes until noon this week and send students home early, and some public schools in Detroit, Michigan also announced that they would dismiss students earlier than usual.
Seventy schools in the Philadelphia School District also announced that they would send students home three hours earlier than usual due to the heat wave for two days until the 6th. The school district said these schools either have no air conditioning or do not have proper cooling systems.
In the United States, a heat wave has continued for several months in the southwestern part, as well as the central and northeastern parts. Approximately 50 million people in areas including Texas, northern Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, Virginia, and Maryland are under heat wave warnings and advisories.
The highest temperature by region on this day was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) in Dallas, Texas, 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) in Kansas City, 94 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Celsius) in Philadelphia, and 99 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Celsius) in Washington DC.
Experts believe that summer heat waves are becoming longer due to climate change. The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that the heat in the Midwest and Northeast will ease somewhat this weekend, but in the South, the heat wave is expected to continue for some time.