Federal officials issue warning: ‘If it isn’t our old nemesis’

Federal officials are alerting the public to dangers associated with an oppressive heat wave blanketing parts of the U.S.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said people should check on their neighbors and family as temperatures climb into the 100s.

“Check on your neighbors. Check on your family. Sometimes an AC stops working. Sometimes people end up outside out of necessity. Paying just a little bit extra attention to how someone is doing could save their life,” CPSC said in a series of social media messages.

“Including all the other heatwave dangers, extended power outages may lead to people using portable generators. If you have a generator at home, make sure your carbon monoxide alarms are working. Put your generator 20ft away from any windows/vents,” the CPSC added.

In a separate message, the commission warned against leaving children in a hot car.

“A child can die from a heatstroke in minutes,” the CPSC said. “It’s never safe to leave them (children) alone in a vehicle.”

Heat advisories remain in place for much of the eastern half of the U.S., stretching along the coast into the deep South. Tuesday is expected to be the hottest day in a decade for parts of the U.S. with a heat dome – a weather phenomenon where descending air compresses and warms as it drops closer to the surface – to blame.

More than 160 million people in the eastern half of the U.S. are under heat alerts today, the National Weather Service said. High temperatures are expected to remain through Thursday.