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US Enters First Major Heat Wave of 2025

A chef takes a break to check his phone in a sliver of shade outside Union Station on August 12, 2016 in Washington,DC. Gabriella Demczuk / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
A chef takes a break to check his phone in a sliver of shade outside Union Station on August 12, 2016 in Washington,DC. Gabriella Demczuk / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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US Enters First Major Heat Wave of 2025

A chef takes a break to check his phone in a sliver of shade outside Union Station on August 12, 2016 in Washington,DC. Gabriella Demczuk / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
A chef takes a break to check his phone in a sliver of shade outside Union Station on August 12, 2016 in Washington,DC. Gabriella Demczuk / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

The United States is experiencing its first significant heat wave of the year, beginning Friday across the Great Plains and expanding into parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The extreme heat is expected to intensify as it shifts to the East Coast early next week, with temperatures reaching the highest level on the NWS's HeatRisk tool: Level 4, or "Extreme."

"Numerous daily record highs and warm lows are likely," the NWS said. "Light winds, sunny days, and a lack of overnight cooling will significantly increase the danger."

The capital city Washington could see highs of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on Monday and 101F on Tuesday, AFP said.

This level of heat can be dangerous for anyone without access to effective cooling and hydration, especially those engaged in prolonged outdoor activity, the NWS warns.

Designated cooling centers -- including recreation centers and libraries -- will be open during business hours, the mayor's office announced. Homeless residents will have access to shelters.

Overnight lows may remain around 80F in urban areas such as Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Fueled by human-caused climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally -- and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three.

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Europe's Oldest Lake Settlement Uncovered in Albania

A drone view shows archaeologists diving in the lake of Ohrid to uncover objects, in the village of Lin, Albania, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci
A drone view shows archaeologists diving in the lake of Ohrid to uncover objects, in the village of Lin, Albania, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci
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Europe's Oldest Lake Settlement Uncovered in Albania

A drone view shows archaeologists diving in the lake of Ohrid to uncover objects, in the village of Lin, Albania, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci
A drone view shows archaeologists diving in the lake of Ohrid to uncover objects, in the village of Lin, Albania, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci

Archaeologists working on the shores of Ohrid Lake in Albania are convinced they have uncovered the oldest human settlement built on a European lake, finding evidence of an organized hunting and farming community living up to 8,000 years ago. The team, from Switzerland and Albania, spends hours each day about three meters (9.8 feet) underwater, painstakingly retrieving wooden stilts that supported houses.

The are also collecting bones of domesticated and wild animals, copper objects and ceramics, featuring detailed carvings.

Albert Hafner, from the University of Bern, said similar settlements have been found in Alpine and Mediterranean regions, but the settlements in the village of Lin are half a millennium older, dating back between 6,000 and 8,000 years.

"Because it is under water, the organic material is well-preserved and this allows us to find out what these people have been eating, what they have been planting," Hafner said.

Multiple studies show that Lake Ohrid, shared by North Macedonia and Albania, is the oldest lake in Europe, at over one million years.

The age of the findings is determined through radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology, which measures annual growth rings in trees. More than one thousand wood samples have been collected from the site, which may have hosted several hundred people.

It is believed to cover around six hectares, but so far, only about 1% has been excavated after six years of work.

Hafner said findings show that people who lived on the lake helped to spread agriculture and livestock to other parts of Europe.

"They were still doing hunting and collecting things but the stable income for the nutrition was coming from the agriculture," he said.

Albanian archaeologist Adrian Anastasi said it could take decades to fully explore the area.

"(By) the way they had lived, eaten, hunted, fished and by the way the architecture was used to build their settlement we can say they were very smart for that time," Anastasi said.