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 man pushes a tub carrying children as he gets them back home after school at a flooded area in Duchang, Jiangxi Province, China, June 27, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

People gather in the street the night before a local lockdown amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manchester, Britain on October 22, 2020. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Reuters)

A woman dances during a rehearsal by the group “Tambores de Olokun” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, April 17, 2022. The Brazilian municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo postponed the traditional parades of the carnival samba schools to April 22 - 23, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)

Venezuelan artist Deborah Castillo licks the boots of a man dressed as a member of the military during her performance “Lamebrasil, Lamezuela – questioning power in Latin America”, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 24, 2019. (Photo by Amanda Perobell/Reuters)

Emily Ratajkowski filming DKNY commercial on January 20, 2017 in New York City, USA. The 25-year-old model braved the freezing New York temperatures as she wore just a black lace bra and matching French knickers, with a pair of clumpy biker boots. (Photo by Startraks Photo/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Photos of Edward Snowden, a contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), and U.S. President Barack Obama are printed on the front pages of local English and Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong in this illustration photo June 11, 2013. Snowden, who leaked details of top-secret U.S. surveillance programs, dropped out of sight in Hong Kong on Monday ahead of a likely push by the U.S. government to have him sent back to the United States to face charges. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

An anti-government protester sits on the ground in front of police during a demonstration in Sarajevo February 6, 2014. Hundreds of people turned out in solidarity in the capital Sarajevo, with teenagers throwing eggs and stones at a government building and fought with police. Four officers were taken to hospital, officials said. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)