Extreme heat grips Tennessee and California as Los Angeles ties temperature record

Extreme heat is gripping parts of the United States, bringing triple-digit temperatures to Tennessee and record-setting conditions to California.

(CNN)- Extreme heat is gripping parts of the United States, bringing triple-digit temperatures to Tennessee and record-setting conditions to California.

Memphis and Nashville have experienced temperatures above 100 degrees over the past week as residents deal with the prolonged heat.

“Shoes hot, burning up,” Memphis resident Angel Brown said while describing the conditions.

The West Coast is also feeling the heat, with record temperatures reported across California this week.

Downtown Los Angeles reached 105 degrees Wednesday, tying the daily record set in 2024.

Adding to the discomfort is unusually high humidity in a city typically known for its relatively dry climate.

Emergency medicine physician Dr. Gabriel Campion said many Los Angeles residents are not accustomed to that level of humidity, comparing the conditions to what people might experience along the Gulf Coast or in Florida.

The latest heat waves follow an already exceptionally hot summer.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it was the warmest summer on record for the contiguous United States.

The extreme heat also extended around the globe, particularly during August.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, August was the planet’s hottest August on record and tied the record for the hottest month measured since at least 1940.