Publication Date May 30, 2018 | USA TODAY

May shaping up as USA's hottest on record, breaking mark set during 1934 Dust Bowl

United States
Hugh Poole fishes at a pond in FDR Park in Philadelphia, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Photo: David Maialetti, AP
Hugh Poole fishes at a pond in FDR Park in Philadelphia, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Photo: David Maialetti, AP

The USA is sweltering through what will likely be its hottest May on record, according to a preliminary analysis of weather data.

National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said May 2018 should break the record set in May 1934 during the Dust Bowl. 

The heat has been particularly noteworthy in the central U.S., including the upper Midwest and northern Plains, where temperatures have run some 5-8 degrees above average, according to weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue. 

On Monday, the temperature in Minneapolis soared to a record 100 degrees, the city's earliest 100-degree reading on record, buckling roads, straining air conditioners and triggering air quality alerts.

Other cities seeing record-breaking heat over the past few days include Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Des Moines, Radiant Solutions reported.

Overall, in just the past few days more than 1,900 heat records have been broken or tied, weather.com said.