'Extreme' heat waves scorching the South amid air-quality concerns | USA TODAY

Heat alerts have been issued for 80 million people in the South as record-smashing heat waves continue to scorch the region. RELATED: Air quality in US impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke. What to know. https://tinyurl.com/547at4sk Federal agencies report about 700 Americans die each year from extreme heat, but some studies estimate that figure could be closer to 1,300 deaths a year. Another study found up to 20,000 deaths may have been linked to extreme heat from 2008 to 2017. Part of what makes a heat wave so dangerous is lack of awareness, experts say. The consequences of extreme heat aren’t as visually obvious as in other natural disasters, but they can be especially life-threatening to certain people depending on how old they are, what medical conditions they have and where they live. » Subscribe to USA TODAY: http://bit.ly/1xa3XAh » Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY: https://bit.ly/3GqYgdk » USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR. #Extremeweather #Heat #Heatwaves