Dangerously high temperatures threatened much of the Northeast and Deep South on Thursday, as huge swaths of the country sweltered under a heat wave that could continue for days and send temperatures soaring in places like Boston, Little Rock and Virginia Beach.
As some temperatures neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), millions of Americans sought comfort by staying in the shade of homes or in air-conditioned offices, and cooled themselves in fountains, at beaches or in cooling centers.
