U.S. Heat Wave Sets In

A heat wave is rolling across the United States, bringing more unusual and record-breaking heat to parts of the country that have already suffered from excessive heat and drought this year.

Parts of the Southeast and East coast have already been warned that excessive heat could lead to health dangers. The National Weather Service posted excessive heat warnings and watches for several areas early Monday morning.

Not only will temperatures peak in the 90s and low 100s across much of the country, but nighttime is not expected to bring much relief.

When scientists look for evidence of global warming, one thing they look at is the low end of the temperature range for a given day or season. As winters fail to reach usual lows, for instance, the growing season has extended by as much as several weeks in parts of the country.

High nighttime temperatures -- essentially, a high "low temperature" reading of the day -- is another indicator. While no weather event is direct evidence of climate change, sweltering nighttime heat can be seen as a sign of things to come if nothing is done to curb emissions causing global warming.

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