WASHINGTON - Unrelenting heat wave on Saturday continued to bake much of US Midwest and parts of the East Coast, and the heat has contributed to the death of over 40 people so far.

Heat wave on Saturday sent temperatures soaring over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 C) in several major cities in the area, including a record 105 F in Washington St. Louis and Indianapolis also saw their thermometer reach triple digit.

A man jumps into the pool at the Hamilton Fish Recreation Center, in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York, July 7, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

The long stretch of heat wave is compounded by the fact that tens of thousands of people are still without power because of last week's violent storms, and many of the dead were old people without airconditioning.

The St. Louis medical examiner confirmed 3 heat-related deaths and said it was investigating 6 more. In Chicago, authorities said the heat had claimed 10 lives. As of Friday, Virginia officials reported 10 heat-related deaths. In neighboring Maryland, 9 people died.

The heat wave caused the death of 3 elderly people in Ohio. Heat was also cited as a factor in 3 deaths in Wisconsin, 2 in Tennessee and 3 in Pennsylvania.

In addition to taking lives, the heat wave affected agriculture production in the Midwest, and corn and soybean crops were hit especially hard by heat and lack of rain. In the hardest hit and hottest areas, reports quoted some farmers as saying they had already given up on their cornfields for the season.

Meteorologists said the recent heat waves were unusual because of how early in the summer it struck and its duration.