While a suffocating heat dome continues to scorch most of the southern United States, a black bear perished after becoming locked inside a 104°F automobile while searching for food.
The car, which was parked and unlocked outside a vacation rental cottage in a remote area of Tennessee, reportedly reached temperatures of more than 140F.
According to officials, the bear entered the unlocked car on Wednesday in search of food but became stuck when it unintentionally closed the door behind itself.
The dead animal was found slumped inside the automobile, which was parked outside a vacation rental in Sevierville, a city in the state’s eastern region, on a day with temperatures that above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to pictures issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
According to authorities, the owner of the car left the lodge in a different vehicle around 10 am, and when he returned at 6:45 pm, he discovered the bear had died.
He informed authorities about the discovery right away.
According to officials, the bear entered the automobile using either its paws or teeth after becoming drawn to food that had been left inside by the unnamed cabin occupant.
The door then closed behind the animal, sealing it inside, according to officials, who also noted that recent heat waves that affected parts of the US South and Midwest likely caused temperatures to rise to over 140 degrees.
‘Here is a good example of how #garbagekillsbears,’ Tennessee Wildlife workers wrote in a news release Thursday detailing the incident.
‘It appears that the bear got inside the car by using its teeth or paws to open the unlocked door and was trapped inside after the door shut behind it,’ they wrote.
‘We believe that heat likely killed the bear as outside temperatures exceeded 95 degrees yesterday,’ adding ‘the vehicle’s interior possibly reached over 140 degrees.’
They added that the bear was likely lured into the car by the smell of food, citing food wrappers seen in photos shared by the agency along with the news release.
‘Notice the empty soda can and food package on the floorboard,’ officials wrote, sharing a photo showing an empty bag of chips and soda can on the floor of the car’s back seat – just below the bear’s slumped head.
‘Bears have noses 7 times better than a bloodhound,’ officials wrote, adding that the animals ‘can smell even the faintest odor of food inside a vehicle.’
They went on to say that omnivorous animals can be attracted by even empty food containers, candy wrappers, fast food bags, and air fresheners, and advised residents to avoid putting these items in places where the animals are known to live.
‘Please be #BearWise and help us keep bears wild and alive,’ the statement said.
The discovery comes as a dome of severe has been moving through the US for the previous two weeks, causing hazardous weather conditions for parts of the nation.
The majority of the heat wave hit Americans on Thursday in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, with some cities in those states experiencing temperatures well into the triple digits.
Parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle experienced outrageously high temperatures as a result of a powerful pulse of heat brought on by the heat dome, a weather phenomena that causes oppressive heat when a system of high pressure forces warm air downward and keeps it contained as if in a bubble.
While the Sunshine State lived up to its name with heat index readings over 110, Georgia reached highs of 105 degrees in cities like Macon.
The temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit was the hottest ever recorded in Macon on Wednesday, the day the bear was found.
Nine states in the US Southeast, including The Volunteer State, experienced highs of 106 degrees that day. Nashville recorded scalding temperatures of 101 degrees, and Memphis recorded an even more pronounced 102 degrees, both of which set records.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, Charlotte, North Carolina, had a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit as well, and New Orleans had a temperature of 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
The most hazardous section of the heat wave, according to forecasts, has passed, but over 40 million people are still under heat alerts in cities from Texas to Florida, including Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, and Jacksonville.
The Great Plains and Mississippi valley are anticipated to see another wave of extreme heat this weekend, adding to the record-breaking temperatures from earlier in the week.
People are more at danger of heat exhaustion and heat stroke in certain regions, especially those who are exerting themselves outdoors, where heat and humidity can produce heat indices that are higher than 110F.
Dallas is predicted to reach 102 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking a record set more than four decades ago in 1980.
Houston will probably also reach a prior high of 101F, set at this time in 2009, elsewhere in the Lone Star State.
In Alabama, Mobile is expected to set a record high temperature of 101F, which was previously reached in 2009.
With a forecast of 102 degrees, Macon is anticipated to break its previous record high of 101, achieved in 1988.
A scorching 105 degrees are predicted for Albany, which will break the previous record of 104 degrees established in 1994 and will be located about 100 miles to the south.
Tallahassee is expected to reach 104F this weekend, breaking the previous record of 103 set in 1944. This is further south in Florida’s Panhandle, the northernmost part of the state that is anticipated to be impacted by the east-moving dome this weekend.
Experts predict that the city’s all-time high temperature record of 105 may potentially be broken.
By Saturday, the heat dome will move west, moving away from western Alabama, western Tennessee, and southeast Missouri and bringing readings of 100 to 104 degrees to much of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
However, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center cautions that the dome may persist, resulting in additional above-average temperatures in the coming weeks. Some meteorologists predict that the heat dome will diminish or perhaps vanish by early next week.