The mercury’s rising and records are falling as the heat wave tightens its grip on Kansas.

Extreme drought now covers two-thirds of the state. In Hays, it was the hottest June since records have been kept, with a mean temperature of 105 degrees – six degrees above the average.

The newspaper reported that Kansas communities were the warmest in the nation six times in June, breaking a string of day-time highs that were recorded in Death Valley, Calif.

High temperatures of 110 or above are becoming the new normal for many towns. But as the temperatures rise, water levels at rivers and streams in the northwest part of the state are falling.