US President Joe Biden has announced measures to try to tackle the effects of extreme heat as 46 million Americans suffer under heat advisories.

Major cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, declared heat emergencies on Thursday.

The actors union Sag-Aftra was forced to pause picket lines amid New York City’s excessive heat warning.

The extreme heat is expected to last through the weekend.

”I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of climate change anymore,” President Biden said on Thursday at a White House press conference.

Elevated humidity levels will increase the heat indices in Washington, DC, and New York City where temperatures are expected to feel like 107F (41C) and 105F (40C), respectively.

The east coast night-time lows will be as much as 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above average for the region, exacerbating the potential heat-related health impacts, according to the National Weather Service.

And record-breaking heat continues to bake the Southwest and Central US.

Phoenix, Arizona, has been coping with oppressive temperatures, at or above 100F (38C), for 27 days in a row now.

The evenings have not offered any reprieve for residents either – overnight temperatures have not dropped below 90F (32C) for at least 16 days.

El Paso, Texas, has even surpassed Phoenix, hitting 40 consecutive days of temperatures, at or above 100F (38C) on Tuesday.

During the press conference, Mr Biden announced measures to bolster heat-related safety rules for workers – especially farmers, construction workers and others working outdoors.

There will also be additional funding for the weather forecasting service as well as efforts to expand water storage capacity in the western states and make buildings more heat resistant.

In addition to the scorching weather, some parts of the US are facing intense thunder storm systems.

There are 180,000 without power in Michigan after a storm soaked the region and downed power lines on Wednesday.

The Upper Midwest and Great Lakes should expect more thunderstorms, which could bring 75-mph winds and golf-ball-size hail, on Thursday afternoon into Friday.

Those storms will then spread into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic late Friday into Saturday, bringing damaging winds, hail and possible flash flooding.