Chicago - UPI
Millions of Americans are bracing for another day of brutal heat Tuesday, officials say. The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories in 15 U.S. states with temperatures to soar above 105 degrees in the coming days, KARK-TV in Little Rock, Ark., reported. Combined with stifling humidity, it is expected to feel even hotter, forecasters say, hitting 110-115 on the heat index. KNSS Radio in Wichita, Kan., said the nation\'s high reached 112 degrees Sunday in Hutchinson, Kan., and temperatures nudged above 100 degrees in several locations Monday. Wichita Falls, Texas, has had daily highs above 100 degrees for 20 day straight and the town\'s Times Record News expects that string to continue the rest of the week. Storms producing winds up to 80 mph ripped through the Chicago area Monday, leaving more than 850,000 ComEd customers without power. It was the largest outage in 13 years, WGN-TV reported. \"This is going to be one for the record books,\" ComEd representative Tony Hernandez told WGN Radio. The utility had nearly 500 crews out working to restore power and more were being called in from neighboring states. The Detroit News said winds surpassing 60 mph punished Michigan, leaving nearly 190,000 customers without electricity, including 70,000 DTE customers in metropolitan Detroit. The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported a 38-year-old Cuttlerville man was killed Monday when a tree fell on his garage while he was in it. In West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, about 25,000 customers were without power, Charleston\'s WSAZ-TV reported. The states under heat advisories are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.