*By: Madison Alworth*
The hottest month of the year just got a whole lot hotter. Most of the U.S. is being blanketed by a scorching heat wave, with temperatures for half of the lower 48 states exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and feeling even hotter.
"If you go anywhere from Virginia up to Maine, there is no region you can find that doesn't feel like 100 degrees," said Andrew Freedman, science editor at Axios.
What's particularly disturbing for climate scientists, is that in some areas, temperatures didn't fall below 80 degrees at night.
"Climate scientists are looking at warming nights, warming faster than days, and that's consistent with climate change," said Freedman.
Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings are in effect thanks to a so-called "heat dome," an unusually intense area of high pressure that keeps regions under its influence sunny and storm-free.
And the longer the heat wave lasts, the more dangerous it gets. This one could extend for most of the month, said Freedman.
"The long duration aspect of it has some public health people a little bit concerned. Because the longer you go with the body under such stress, the more likely it is you'll have heat-related illness and possible health-related deaths," he said.
And while the higher temps might be welcome as you hit the pool or beach this holiday week, heat illnesses are no joke.
"Heat is the number one weather killer in a typical year," explained Freedman.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/heatwave-hits-u-s).
Disney+ will premier a new action-comedy series called 'American Born Chinese' that debuts in May and is based on the novel by Gene Luen Yang. The series creator, Kevin Yu, along with actors Chin Han and Ben Wang joined Cheddar News to discuss how they became involved with the project and what the series brings.
Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner joined Cheddar News to discuss their new movie, 'Beautiful Disaster,' a new romance based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling self-published novel by Jamie McGuire.
Danny Taing, founder and CEO of Bokksu, joined Cheddar News to discuss his path on how he became an entrepreneur to launch a company that delivers artisanal Japanese snacks. "When I moved back from Japan to New York, I had this bit of reverse culture shock ... a lot of people had somewhat of a one-dimensional view of Japan ... they saw this country where people ate sushi every day ... none of that is true," he said.
Carrie Fisher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, a May the Fourth tribute to a beloved “Star Wars” actor that had a touch of stardust.
A jury has concluded that British singer Ed Sheeran's hit song “Thinking Out Loud” didn't copy key components of Marvin Gaye's classic tune “Let's Get It On.”
