Swaths of California sweltered Tuesday and things were only expected to get worse during the Fourth of July holiday week for parts of the United States with nearly 90 million people under heat alerts.

The torrid conditions were being caused by a ridge of high pressure just off the West Coast and a separate ridge that spawned heat warnings and advisories from Kansas and Missouri to the Gulf Coast states, according to the National Weather Service.

California含羞草研究社檚 capital, Sacramento, was under an excessive heat warning expected to last until Sunday night, with temperatures forecasted to reach between 105 degrees and 115 degrees (40.5-46 Celsius).

John Mendoza, 35, called it a 含羞草研究社渇irehose of heat含羞草研究社� as he walked around the Capitol on Tuesday morning with an iced coffee in his hand. By 9 a.m., he had already been in a pool once 含羞草研究社� and planned to go back later in the day.

含羞草研究社淚 felt like I needed to be submerged in water,含羞草研究社� he said.

With the temperatures rising before noon in Sacramento, Katherine Powers sought refuge in the shade of Cathedral Square. Powers, who is homeless, sipped sparkling water while resting her bare feet on the shaded sidewalk.

Powers said she had loaned her shoes to a friend. She had not yet visited one of Sacramento County含羞草研究社檚 nine 含羞草研究社渃ooling centers,含羞草研究社� she said, because of the difficulty in bringing all the possessions she carries.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 just going to go to a park with a water fountain just to stay cool, stay in the shade and just keep pouring water on me, basically,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 not too much that I can do.含羞草研究社�

Darlene Crumedy, who lives in Fairfield about an hour含羞草研究社檚 drive from Sacramento, said she doesn含羞草研究社檛 use air conditioning because it含羞草研究社檚 too expensive.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 good, I have a hundred fans,含羞草研究社� she said, adding she tries to stay inside and drink cold water.

Kim Mims, a Sacramento native, said she prefers the heat 含羞草研究社� but only up to 100 degrees (38 C).

含羞草研究社淎nything over that you start to feel that difference,含羞草研究社� she said.

An analysis by The Associated Press found that last year, setting a record. That figure is likely a major undercount, dozens of experts told AP reporters.

Dr. Arthur Jey, an emergency services physician with Sutter Health in Sacramento, told reporters that getting out of the heat is important, along with wearing a hat and loose clothes, hydration and watching out for signs of heat stroke.

含羞草研究社淲ith heat stroke, it looks like a stroke,含羞草研究社� Jey said, describing symptoms that may include acting unusual, significant headaches, blurry vision, profuse sweating and then no sweating.

含羞草研究社淎nd that含羞草研究社檚 a really big deal,含羞草研究社� Jey said. 含羞草研究社淪o we want to prevent them getting even close to heat stroke.含羞草研究社�

California含羞草研究社檚 heat was expected to spread from north to south over the week, with the worst of it focused on interior areas including the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and the southern deserts. But warnings extended out to just short of the coast.

San Francisco, famous for its cool summers, was expected to have a high Tuesday in the upper 80s (31 C) downtown but mid-60s (18.3 C) at Ocean Beach, forecasters said.

含羞草研究社淭he high pressure dome will linger over California for at least a week, with more long range guidance suggesting that timeline may even be optimistic,含羞草研究社� the Bay Area weather office wrote.

The heat arrived with gusty, dry winds in the northern part of the state, where the utility Pacific Gas & Electric implemented in parts of 10 counties to prevent wildfires from being ignited by downed or damaged electrical wires.

About 12,000 customers were told their power could be cut and given information about centers where they could obtain ice, water, snacks, Wi-Fi and other necessities, PG&E said.

California has had feeding on abundant grasses spawned by back-to-back wet winters. The largest current blaze, dubbed the Basin Fire, was 17% contained Tuesday after charring more than 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) of the Sierra National Forest in eastern Fresno County.

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Antczak reported from Los Angeles.

Adam Beam And John Antczak, The Associated Press