[Usual apology for the ad.] By Moni Basu, Fabi Rodriguez, Nick Valencia, Melissa Abbey, and Jake Carpenter
30 June 2012 (CNN) – Millions of people across nine states were left without power Saturday to deal with thermostat-popping temperatures after fierce storms pounded parts of the Midwest and Atlantic Seaboard. Six people were killed in Virginia, crushed by felled trees, said Gov. Bob McDonnell, who declared an state of emergency in the state. The storms moved east Friday from Indiana through Ohio and into West Virginia and the nation’s capital. In all, 3.6 million homes were without power Saturday morning; nearly 1 million in Virginia alone. The power outages and debris littering roads led to traffic disruptions and other headaches. Amtrak service between Washington and Philadelphia was expected to be restored by noon Saturday after the storm downed trees and wires across tracks. In the nation’s capital, many intersections were without traffic lights Saturday.

Workers remove debris from fallen tree limbs and a downed utility pole so that power lines can be repaired in Huntington, Md. Scores of homes across the Washington area lost power after a severe thunderstorm, 30 June 2012. Mark Wilson / Getty Images

The aftermath of the storm was compounded Saturday by a forecast of another sweltering summer day. One in three Americans were baking Saturday in an area of nearly 600,000 square miles sizzling under the sun. Temperatures tipped the 100-degree mark in several cities Friday, including St. Louis, Richmond, Nashville, Washington and Atlanta, the National Weather Service said. In many places, it felt much hotter than the thermostat reading. “If you don’t have a good pair of boots, it’ll burn clear through to your feet,” said roofer Zach Bruner in Evansville, Indiana, where he said the 103-degree temperatures were spiking to 130 on the job site. The bad news? Relief is nowhere in sight as the extreme heat is expected to continue through the weekend. In storm-affected areas, many people had no electricity to run fans, air-conditioning and refrigerators. Even in places where power was not disrupted, people with no air-conditioning were advised to spend the day in a library or a cooling center to avoid heat exhaustion. Atlanta opened five cooling centers in anticipation of another day of triple-digit heat. Fueled by the high temperatures, the severe thunderstorms brought with them winds gusting to 80 miles per hour, the weather service said. Saturday morning, the storm’s fury was visible with downed trees and debris littering roads. […]

Millions without power as storms pound U.S. following record-setting heat