How Hot Is It? All You Need To See Are These Two Maps

By Mark Memmott

Published July 6, 2012 at 1:11 PM CDT

The heat wave across much of the nation continues.

We could hit 105 degrees on Saturday here in the nation's capital, the National Weather Service says. Washington, D.C., has already tied its record for most consecutive days (eight) with temperatures of 95 degrees or more.

And as Wunderground.com writes, "more record-breaking triple-digit heat is expected Friday and Saturday across much of the Midwest and Tennessee Valley."

The good news is that things could start to cool in just a few days. "Early next week and even this weekend we'll see rain in Kansas and Nebraska and parts of Texas," forecaster Bruce Sullivan of the National Weather Service, tells USA Today.

But what we want to focus on are some incredible statistics and maps from the National Climatic Data Center.

First, look at this image showing the number of places where daily maximum temperature records have been broken so far this month. According to the data center, 942 records were broken in just the first five days of the month and another 273 were tied:

Then, look at this image showing the number of places where daily maximum temperature records were broken in June. The data center says 2,284 records were broken and another 998 were tied. (Note: If you're on a platform that isn't showing our images, click "view full website" at the bottom of this page. Or, check the June image we put on Tumblr.)

All we can say is, whew!

Other numbers about the scorching temperatures:

-- In the seven days ended Thursday, 2,155 daily high temperature records were set in communities across the nation.

-- In the past 30 days, there have been 4,230 such records set.

-- And in the year so far, 23,283 daily high records have been set. Over the same period last year, there were 13,582 such records set. The number of records set, then, is up about 71 percent.

As The Inquisitr says, "It is hard to believe with the record temperatures many cities are experiencing" that on Thursday the sun was the farthest from Earth that it will be this year — 94.5 million miles, versus its usual 93 million miles or so.

1 of 6 — John Rohlfing, 38, takes a drink as he works on the construction of his new home Thursday in North Aurora, Ill. He started at 6:00 a.m. and quit at 11:00 a.m. because of triple-digit temperatures.

John Rohlfing, 38, takes a drink as he works on the construction of his new home Thursday in North Aurora, Ill. He started at 6:00 a.m. and quit at 11:00 a.m. because of triple-digit temperatures.

Robert Ray / AP

2 of 6 — "Papa B" (left) and "Cadillac Bob" find refuge from the heat in a shaded lot between their homes on Chicago's South Side.

"Papa B" (left) and "Cadillac Bob" find refuge from the heat in a shaded lot between their homes on Chicago's South Side.

Sitthixay Ditthavong / AP

3 of 6 — Domingo Vasquez, 36, drinks from a cooler while taking a break from mowing the lawn at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, N.J. Vasquez, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, said he doesn't mind the heat because he grew up with it.

Domingo Vasquez, 36, drinks from a cooler while taking a break from mowing the lawn at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, N.J. Vasquez, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, said he doesn't mind the heat because he grew up with it.

Julio Cortez / AP

4 of 6 — Gloria and Daniel Perez sit in a shady spot near the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge trying to beat the weather during a days-long heat wave of temperatures above 90 degrees.

Gloria and Daniel Perez sit in a shady spot near the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge trying to beat the weather during a days-long heat wave of temperatures above 90 degrees.

Kathy Willens / AP

5 of 6 — A child plays in a fountain at the Yards Park in Washington, D.C. Forecasters predict the record heat wave in the area will last through Sunday, with daily triple-digit temperatures.

A child plays in a fountain at the Yards Park in Washington, D.C. Forecasters predict the record heat wave in the area will last through Sunday, with daily triple-digit temperatures.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

6 of 6 — Alex McCall jumps into a pool in the nation's capital on Monday.

Alex McCall jumps into a pool in the nation's capital on Monday.

Larry Downing / Reuters /Landov