“Mountain Goats, Colorado”. A herd of mountain goats huddle together on top of Mount Evans, Colorado during a lightning storm. This photo was selected out of more than 5,000 entries to go on display in “Wilderness Forever: 50 Years of Protecting America’s Wild Places”, a new photo exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, which will run through summer 2015. (Photo by Verdon Tomajko/Smithsonian Wilderness Forever Photo Contest)

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 high temperature alerts were issued as a record-setting summer heat wave continued to bake most parts of south China. (Reuters)

France's Simon Billy gets ready to practice speed skiing on the Chabriere ski slope in Vars, on March 29, 2017. (Photo by Jean-Pierre Clatot/AFP Photo)

A woman poses for a photograph with light sculptures depicting animals that make up the twelve animals of the zodiac during a photocall to promote the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens in west London on January 29, 2016. The festival, to celebrate Chinese New Year 2016 – the Year of the Monkey, uses more than 50 hand-sculpted lanterns and is set to run from Febuary 3 to March 6, 2016. (Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP Photo)

Germany, Business couple making love under desk. (Photo by Roman Maerzinger/Getty Images)

People stand along Aviation Blvd. as the space shuttle Endeavour lands at LAX in Los Angeles. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Photographers work on the red carpet after the screening of the film “Mad Max: Fury Road” out of competition at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 14, 2015. (Photo by Regis Duvignau/Reuters)