Heat Will Bake Southern, Midwest States Right Through the Weekend
 

By the CNN Wire Staff
July 14, 2011 2:24 a.m. EDT

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This is one way to beat the heat.

Searing temperatures kept a firm grip on more than a handful southern states Thursday as forecasters warned of new areas of excessive heat for the weekend.The number of states under heat advisories has diminished to seven. At its peak, the heat wave spread from the Plains to the Northeast, covering more than 20 states.
The National Weather Service is forecasting new hot spots in sections of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
"Warm and moist air in concert with clear skies will allow temperatures to rise about 100 degrees and will allow heat indices to rise above 105 degrees through at least Monday," the weather service said.
Nowhere has the heat been more persistent than Oklahoma.
In Norman, the capital, Chris McBee said he was able to fry an egg on the dashboard of his car, using just the heat of the car's interior, which was 181 degrees.
"I tried it; I didn't think it would work," said McBee. "It's been this hot before. ... I (fried an egg) last year where I just did it on the concrete."
Dangerous heat is expected across parts of northern Texas through Thursday evening, according to the weather service. Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and other areas will experience afternoon heat indices of 105 degrees or more through Thursday.
Other states still sweltering under heat advisories include parts of Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and a small area in southwest Tennessee, which includes Memphis.
In central Oklahoma, temperatures in Lawton and Wichita Falls shot past the 100 mark for the area's 15th consecutive day of triple-digit heat Wednesday.
High demand for water amid the heat wave and problems with soil shrinking as the ground warms has resulted in burst pipes and low water pressure in Oklahoma City. This prompted officials to issue mandatory water-use restrictions for the first time in at least a decade, according to utilities department spokeswoman Debbie Ragan.
More than 200 people have suffered from heat-related emergencies in Tulsa and Oklahoma City since June 17, when the agency issued its first heat alert, said Lara O'Leary, spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority of Oklahoma.
The heat claimed the life of a 51-year-old man in Granite City, Illinois, on Sunday.
In Oklahoma City, forecasters are calling for nearly another full week of temperatures near or above 100 degrees, threatening to break a 1936 record for 22 consecutive days of such heat.
Forecasters say people should limit outdoor activity during the hottest portions of the day, wear lightweight clothing, drink plenty of water and be watchful for signs of heat exhaustion, which include heavy sweating, pale and clammy skin, weak pulse, fainting and vomiting.