The northeastern United States sweltered this week in a scorching summer heat wave, complete with stagnant, sticky air and no winds for relief, forecasters said. Even in a summer already filled with stretches of very hot weather, this week will be stubbornly brutal, with no relief in sight until the weekend brings thunderstorms to the region, they said. "Plain and simple, this week may feel the worst of any week for this summer in the Northeast," said Accuweather.com meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. (Reuters)

A Kashmiri woman walks on a footbridge as it rains in Srinagar, June 24, 2015. This year's monsoon rains in India are officially forecast to be only 88 percent of the long-term average. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)

A police officer has weapons blessed by a Hindu priest during the Vishwakarma Puja festival in the outskirts of Agartala, India, September 17, 2016. (Photo by Jayanta Dey/Reuters)

Mexico City resident Romina Montoya takes a playful selfie wearing a protective face mask over her eyes and nose, in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Concern is spreading that the critical winter holiday tourism success could be fleeting because it came as COVID-19 infections in both Mexico and the United States were reaching new heights. (Photo by Emilio Espejel/AP Photo)

A woman struggles to drink homemade alcohol poured from the mouth of an idol of “Swet Bhairab” during the annual Indra Jatra festival to worship Indra, Kumari and other deities and to mark the end of monsoon season in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 15, 2019. (Photo by Monika Deupala/Reuters)

Paramilitary policemen take part in a summer training in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, June 27, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Victorian and Australian women's cricket team representative Meg Lanning dives for a catch during a photo shoot at Quarry Park on October 27, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

A Kashmiri Shi'ite Muslim mourner flagellates himself during a Muharram procession to mark Ashura in Srinagar, India October 12, 2016. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)