Associated Press (excerpts):  St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago and several other Midwest cities already have broken heat records this week or are on the verge of doing so. Even nighttime low temperatures are setting record highs and some residents have no means of relief day or night.

The National Weather Service said the record-breaking heat that has baked the nation's midsection for several days was slowly moving into the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. Excessive-heat warnings remained in place Friday for all of Iowa, Indiana and Illinois as well as much of Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Kentucky.

St. Louis hit a record high of 105 on Wednesday and a record low of 83. In Wisconsin, the coolest Milwaukee and Madison got was 81 in the early morning, beating previous low records by 2 and 4 degrees respectively. Temperatures didn't fall below 79 in Chicago, 78 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and 75 in Indianapolis.

"When a day starts out that warm, it doesn't take as much time to reach high temperatures in the low 100s," said Marcia Cronce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "You know it'll be a warm day when you start out at 80 degrees."

The heat has been much worse than a mere inconvenience for some. St. Louis officials have reported three heat-related deaths in recent days, and officials in the Chicago area said two people there may have died due to heat Wednesday. A coroner in Rock County, Wis., said the death of an 83-year-old woman there was definitely due to the heat.

It was hot enough to buckle a roadway Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, where Columbus Drive cracked and bulged, forcing the city to close the road for repairs.

The National Weather Service's excessive heat warning for the city extended through Friday evening, and Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard canceled all summer school classes for the day.

But relief is on the way. The weather service forecast that cooler temperatures and scattered showers could bring some relief across the Upper Midwest going into the weekend, but warned of strong to severe storms in the area.

Commentary:  "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise (His return), as some men think of slackness; but He is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.  The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, during which time the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are done in it will be burned up.  Seeing then, that all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person should you be in all holy conversation and Godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, when the heavens being on fire, will be dissolved and the elements will melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness." 2 Peter 3:9-11.  Jesus said, "Watch therefore and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and stand before the son of man (Jesus)" Luke 21:36. 

This heat is just a prelude to the wrath of God and indignation to come against the wicked, but the Word of God tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words."  Are you ready to go up and escape the wrath to come?  If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page on this website.  God bless you.