Lightning strikes the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in downtown on June 12, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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)

Cars are parked near Place de la Concorde on March 12, 2014 in Paris, France. Inset: World War I, German airplanes at Place de la Concorde in Paris, wrecked by celebrating crowds on the day of the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine, November 18, 1918. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

The Lamb National takes place for the racegoers at Ascot Racecourse on April 2, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

People dance to celebrate Midsummer Eve during sunset at the Amager Strandpark in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 23, 2021. (Photo by Hannah McKay/Reuters)

A combination of high tide and strong winds in the coastal city of Saint-Malo, France, resulted in waves as high as apartment blocks on Friday, March 24, 2023. Waves 50 foot (15,24 m) high flooded the streets as they breached sea walls. (Photo by Mathieu Rivrin/Solent News & Photo Agency)

British actor Hugh Grant and his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley attend the post-premiere party of Grant's latest film, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” in London, 11th May 1994. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Angel of The North at Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, UK with a halo drawn in sky using a light on a drone, captured during a 25-second exposure on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian Sproat/Picture Exclusive)