Heat wave bakes the East, Midwest John Bacon and Sarah Toy

A heat wave rolled across the Midwest into the East on Sunday, and record-breaking temperatures were likely to linger from Omaha to New York City until at least Wednesday, forecasters said.

“We are forecasting record highs from the Dakotas and down to Nebraska and Kansas all the way through the Northeast,” AccuWeather meteorologist Evan Duffey told USA TODAY. “There should be at least a few records in each state across that swath.”

In Omaha, the 43rd annual Summer Arts Festival was greeted with highs of 94 degrees Saturday and Sunday. Festival manager Elizabeth Balazs said attendees were undeterred but also were warned not to bring their dogs to the party. “The concrete is so hot,” she said. “As humans we don’t go around barefoot, but they (dogs) do.”

Monday’s high in Chicago was forecast at 95; Tuesday a scorching 97. That is pretty harsh stuff considering the formal start to summer is more than a week away. The Illinois Department of Transportation’s concerns with hot concrete were a bit different — the agency issued a warning urging motorists to be alert for buckling pavement on roads throughout the state “due to the extreme heat in the forecast.”

Air quality issues will add to the heat troubles. An upper-level, high-pressure system and little wind will trap pollen, auto emissions and other particles in the air.

“Everybody will be going to work Monday, and by the time we get to Tuesday, all that bad stuff in the air will just be sitting there,” Duffey said.