LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) Mother Nature is not expected to give these people any break anytime soon. "Hot and hotter will continue to be the story from the plains to the Atlantic Coast for the next few days," the National Weather Service said.

Traffic in these areas is frustratingly stop-start stop-start as many embarked on a difficult commute over roads with darkened stoplights.

Federal and state officials gave many workers the option of staying home today in Baltimore and Washington D.C. Monday. Federal agencies remain open in Washington, but non-emergency employees have the option of taking leave or working from home. Maryland's governor also gave state workers wide leeway for staying out of the office.

Five hundred signal outages in Maryland, including more than 400 in hard-hit Montgomery County outside the nation's capital have tied up roads there. There were 100 signal outages in northern Virginia and 65 roads were closed.

"If you have to drive or need to drive, leave yourself a lot of extra time," Maryland State Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gischlar said. "There's going to be delays."

All 86 Metro subway stations in the Washington area were open, but delays were possible as power was being routed through the system to serve some areas where power was not being supplied by commercial utilities.

Adding to the difficulties is the fact that the weather here remains unseasonably sweltering. Heat warnings have been issued after hundreds of daily high temperature records were broken throughout the region over the weekend. Highs approached or exceeded 100 degrees in many storm-stricken areas, and utility officials said the power will likely be out for several more days.

"High pressure in the upper atmosphere will shift back to the central states, focusing the core of above-average temperatures over that region of the country eastward into mid-Atlantic," the Weather Bureau reported. "Minneapolis, Minn., St. Louis, Mo., Chicago, Ill. and Washington, D.C. are just a few of the cities that should prepare for a sultry week ahead."

Temperatures topped 100 Fahrenheit in several southern cities, including Atlanta, where the mercury hit an all-time record of 106 degrees on Saturday and reached 105 on Sunday.

According to the Associated Press, severe weather was blamed for 17 deaths since Friday. The majority of fatalities were from trees falling on homes and cars.

Coast Guard officials say they have suspended the search for a man who disappeared early Saturday while boating during the storm off Maryland.

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