The temperature in New York's Central Park hit 102 degrees, shattering a 1957 record of 101 degrees, according to Accuweather.com.
The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories for wide swaths of the country's mid-section and along the East Coast from Maine to Georgia.
"Heat index values will range from 105 to 115 plus today from Boston to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Richmond, affecting millions of people along the I-95 corridor," the National Weather Service said.
Related: How to recognize, avoid "hyperthermia"
Higher-than-normal temperatures were likely to hover over the eastern half of the United States for "the next couple of weeks," the Weather Service said.
In Pittsburgh, city worker Brian Hilliard was sweating heavily as he tossed recycling bags into a truck.
"We're drinking gallons of water, and we're just killing ourselves today," he said.
At a nearby supermarket, teenager Jenny Marze said she had been seeking relief inside the air-conditioned store.
"It's like an arctic rush in there, but out here it's like Mexico or something," she said.
The heat roasted the Midwest for nearly a week, potentially responsible for at least 34 deaths in ten states, before it moved east.
On Thursday, an 18-year-old cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., collapsed and died during outdoor training exercises. Military authorities were investigating whether the afternoon heat played a role, a spokesman said.
In Michigan, rolling power blackouts were instituted to help relieve stress on power plants, according to the Weather Service. It said 30,000 people were without power in Detroit.
In New York City, the heat prompted power provider Consolidated Edison to reduce voltage in some neighborhoods, a so-called brownout. The company said increased use of air conditioners could push power usage to a record on Friday.
PJM, the nation's biggest power grid operator, said consumers used a record amount of power on Thursday and it expected near-record demand on Friday.
Offering a low-energy option in the heat, food bloggers posted a recipe for "Car-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies."
"Park your car in the sun on a 100F+ day," the recipe on Baking Bites advised. "Place baking sheet on car dashboard."
The cookies take up to three hours to bake, it said.
East Coast cities should expect to near or surpass record highs, according to AccuWeather.com.
The midday temperatures in Newark, N.J. and Baltimore were 104 degrees, breaking both cities' 1957 record of 101 degrees.
"Today in the Midwest and the Northeast, it's not only record heat, but the humidity is unusually high as well. It's kind of a double-whammy," said AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Tom Kines.
Thunderstorms rolled through the Midwest on Friday, providing some relief from the stifling heat.
"There's a frontal boundary draped across central Iowa into north central Illinois that has been the focus for spotty thunderstorm development," said Jim Keeney, a National Weather Service meteorologist. "South of that boundary will be stuck in the heat and humidity for the next week."
But to the north, temperatures have cooled significantly from where they were earlier in the week. A chance of rain, will continue in that area through the weekend. As the system moves out by early next week, temperatures should be in the lower 80's in the region, Keeney said.
Outside Philadelphia, at the King of Prussia shopping mall, pedestrian traffic has been up about 20 percent this week due to the weather, said marketing manager Kathy Smith.
"Lots of strollers, lots of kids and lot of parents trying to beat the heat," she said.
At Busch Gardens in Virginia, workers at the amusement park's zoo were distributing blocks of ice to wolves and hosing down all its animals frequently.
The park's daily sheep walks and predator presentations were suspended until the heat dissipates, a spokesman said.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo extended hours at state swimming pools, beaches and parks through Saturday evening.
That cool welcome, however, did not extend to several New York City waterfronts affected by a raw sewage discharge into the Hudson River after a treatment plant fire.
Citing the sewage, the health department advised against swimming at four city beaches and against any activity such as kayaking on the Hudson River, parts of the East River and the Harlem River.
(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York, Daniel Lovering in Pittsburgh, Dave Warner in Philadelphia, Matthew Ward in Chesapeake, Virginia and Karin Matz in Chicago; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)
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