Intense heat bakes tens of millions in U.S., spawns potent storms

Temperatures Friday soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit from Topeka, Kansas, to Washington, and the same scorching conditions are expected to continue through the weekend and beyond.

Even as evening set in Friday, the headaches weren't over. A powerful line of severe thunderstorms moved across the Midwest -- "fueled by record-high temperatures across the region," according to the National Weather Service -- bringing with them lightning and wind gusts as strong as 80 mph.

As they moved east from Indiana through Ohio and into West Virginia, the storms caused damage that contributed to power outages that affected more than 2 million homes by 11:30 p.m. ET Friday, according to utilities.

"The storms may reach as far as the Atlantic coast by late tonight or early Saturday morning," the weather service said. "People planning outdoor activities this evening in the path of the squall line are urged to pay attention to local weather warnings and take shelter as storms approach."

It's part of a massive system that has left one in three Americans baking in scorching heat and has threatened lives and doled out misery for those not fortunate enough to find a splash of cool water or air conditioning.

Heat warnings, watches or advisories Friday spanned 730,000 square miles of the central and eastern United States, an area roughly the size of Mexico, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. About 100 million people were affected, he said.

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