Over 60 million Americans under alerts as heat wave hits US

Los Angeles, Aug 30
A heat wave brought record-high temperatures to US Midwest states this week, with more than 60 million people included in alerts over the conditions.

A late-season high-pressure system over cities in the Midwest regions such as Chicago, Des Moines and Topeka has left them experiencing rare "extreme heat" for a long period of time, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the US National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS warned the public of the combined dangers of heat and humidity associated with heat waves.

US Midwest states have set up several public cooling centres in preparation for the dangerous heat.

Extreme heat together with humidity is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States. Approximately 1,220 people in the country are killed by extreme heat every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.