Live from NPR News in Washington, on Corva Coleman, a dangerous heat wave persists in the

central U.S. today from the plains to the Gulf Coast.

Heat indexes will reach around 110 degrees from Kansas to Alabama.

There are excessive heat warnings posted in seven states.

The heat record in Phoenix has finally snapped.

The Arizona Capitol had 31 days in a row of temperatures at or above 110 degrees.

The member station KJ ZZ Kirsten Dorman reports the heat has been broken by cooling monsoon

rains.

31 straight days at or above 110 degrees is now the number to beat as monsoon weather

brought temperatures down on Monday.

The previous record was set in 1974 at 18 straight days.

That's nearly two weeks shorter than the new record, but relief from the heat isn't

expected to last long.

Brian Warley is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

By Wednesday, it looks like we're going to start to warm up a little bit again and then

be above 110 and then we might even start approaching 115 again by this weekend.

July was the city's hottest month ever recorded with chances for August to be even hotter.

For NPR News, I'm Kirsten Dorman in Phoenix.

Police in Memphis, Tennessee say they helped catch a suspect who apparently attacked a

Jewish school.

Authorities say a man with a gun trying to get into the school yesterday but could not.

He then opened fire on the school building.

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