Parts of US hit by summer's 1st big heat wave

The first big heat wave of the summer is here, has its grip on parts of the Northeast, following temperatures that blistered the West Coast in June.

Typically heat waves occur twice every summer. Meteorology director Jeff Masters of Weather Underground says expect the current bout of oppressive heat to last a bit longer than the usual three days with relief not arriving until Saturday.

Temperatures in the Northeast are five to ten degrees above normal, with New York City experiencing the highest above-normal temperatures of any place in the country. The hottest summer in U.S. history - an average 73.83 degrees for the season - occurred during the Dust Bowl in 1936. The 2011 and 2012 summers tied for second hottest but were only one-tenth of a degree cooler than the record.

While the Northeast is burning up, Texas and Oklahoma on Monday recorded their all-time lowest temperatures for July 15. And in parts of Alaska, the readings were warmer Monday than parts of Texas. Alaska's eastern interior was in the low 80s, while Abeline, Texas, recorded a cool 68 degrees.