According to the UK Guardian, and other publications, the Midwest is not alone in suffering from a heatwave.
As strange as it may seem, Mid-Missouri may actually be on the lower end, as far as high temperatures. In Sweden, drought and high temperatures have led to wildfires - a dozen of which are inside the Arctic Circle.
In Algeria, in the Sahara Dessert, a temperature was recorded at 125 degrees F, the highest known in Africa. In Japan, temperatures have exceeded 104, killing 30 and forcing thousands to seek hospital care.
Canada is suffering from high temperatures, more than 86 degrees in Toronto. In the United Kingdom, it was reported that the roof melted over the Glasgow Science Center.
In 1976, conditions were similar and so was the heat. It seems to be related strongly to the jet stream a core of strong winds around a few miles above the earth. They blow from west to east and steer weather around the planet. When they are intense, the jet stream winds bring storms. When weak, the winds bring very calm and settled days. Believe it or not, that is what is happening now.
"The jet stream we are currently experiencing is extremely weak and, as a result, areas of atmospheric high pressure are lingering for long periods over the same place," Dann Mitchell, of Bristol University, said.