Weather experts said that nearly 130 million people faced a threat on Saturday and into next week from a prolonged heat wave that has already shattered records with dangerously high temperatures – more records are expected to be broken from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Jacob Ashman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said that heat and oppressive humidity could combine to push temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius) in parts of the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast.

Ashman said that in Oregon, records could be broken in cities including Eugene, Portland, and Salem, noting that dozens of other records across the U.S. could fall, prompting millions to seek relief from the heat in cooling centers from Bullhead City, Arizona, to Norfolk, Virginia.

Ashman said, “This is certainly an extremely anomalous event that we expect here, which seems likely to continue at least into midweek.”

Festival-goers at the music festival adapt to the heat with cold water and shade

At the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, music lovers coped with the heat on Friday by drinking cold water or seeking shelter in the shade or cooling off under misters.

Angela Kiroz, 31, kept her scarf and hat wet and applied sunscreen while protecting herself from the heat at the music festival.

Kiroz said, "There’s definitely a difference between the shade and the sun. But when you’re in the sun, you feel like you’re being cooked.”

Record heat set in Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth

On Friday, a new record high temperature for the day was recorded in Death Valley, California, one of the hottest places on Earth. The previous high was broken by five degrees Fahrenheit, with the mercury rising to 127 degrees Fahrenheit (52.8 degrees Celsius). The old record of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) was last set in 2013.

Even more extreme highs are expected, including 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53.8 degrees Celsius) on Sunday at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park, and then around 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) until Wednesday. The highest officially recorded temperature on Earth was 134 degrees (56.67 degrees Celsius) in Death Valley in July 1913, although some experts question that measurement and say the true record was 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) recorded there in July 2021.

There was also a record high of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.7 degrees Celsius) in Phoenix, where temperatures are expected to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 degrees Celsius) or hotter until Wednesday. In Needles, California, where the National Weather Service has records dating back to 1888, the high temperature exceeded 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius), surpassing the old record of 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.4 degrees Celsius) set in 2007. It was 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51.1 degrees Celsius) in Palm Springs, California.

The worst is yet to come across much of the West and the Mid-Atlantic

The National Weather Service said the worst is yet to come across much of the West, with temperatures expected to soar to triple digits – between 15 and 30 degrees (8 and 16 degrees Celsius) above normal next week.

The eastern United States is also preparing for more high temperatures, with meteorologists saying Baltimore and other parts of Maryland are under an excessive heat warning, where heat index values could reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).

The National Weather Service in the Baltimore area said, "Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check on relatives and neighbors." "Children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances."

Heat-related deaths begin to rise

In Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, there have been at least 13 confirmed heat-related deaths this year, along with more than 160 other suspected heat deaths still under investigation, according to the latest report from the county.

This does not include the death of a 10-year-old boy earlier this week in Phoenix, who suffered from a "heat-related medical event" while hiking with family at South Mountain Park and Preserve, according to police.