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© Reuters/Lucas JacksonA man suns himself during a hot summer at a park in the Brooklyn of New York.
The mid-Atlantic and Midwest woke up sweating on Thursday, in the clutches of a massive heat wave that has already killed at least 22 people this week and was expected to tighten its grip through the weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued excessive heat warnings for wide swaths of the country's mid-section and East Coast, saying the combination of heat and humidity could spike the heat index or "real feel" of the warmth to 115 degrees through Saturday.

By the weekend the heat was expected to cover nearly 50 percent of the country and impact nearly 50 percent of the population, according to AccuWeather.com forecaster Mary Yoon.

"What makes this heat wave so impressive is the pure size and longevity," said Yoon.

"Through the rest of this week and into the weekend at least 15 states starting from the Southern Plains and Midwest and much of the Northeast will witness 90 degree plus temperatures with high humidity."

Long standing records in Philadelphia and other cities may melt away by Friday, when the mercury was expected to spike, according to meteorologist Meghan Evans of AccuWeather.com.

"Do not take this threat lightly," the NWS warned in a statement on its website, noting the extreme temperatures are particularly dangerous for the elderly and the very young.

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© Reuters/Lucas JacksonGeese cool their feet off in a puddle during a hot summer in Brooklyn of New York.
"The length of this heat wave will pose a very real and dangerous health risk to these at-risk groups and those that do not have access to air conditioning."

Early morning commuters waiting for New York City subways at 7:30 a.m. were drenched through their clothing with perspiration and those rushing along city sidewalks pressed iced coffee cups to their foreheads as they headed for air-conditioned offices.

The low pressure system that barreled east was expected to bring powerful thunderstorms with hail to New England, forecasters said.

In the central United States, where the high temperatures have killed nearly two dozen already, another death was tied to the heat on Wednesday.

An elderly woman whose body was found in her bedroom in St. Louis, where a working air conditioner had not been turned on despite 99 degree temperatures, was determined to have died of heat stroke.