Millions of people in the western US are under excessive heat warnings as Phoenix has 101 days over 100 degrees

The smell of pumpkin spice may be filling the air across most of the country but on the West Coast, temperatures are still well above average in the 90s as summer just refuses to let go.

Wednesday was a scorcher, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s to low 100s over portions of southern California and the Pacific Northwest.

The high temperature in Phoenix on Wednesday hit 107 degrees – marking the 101st day in a row that the Arizona city topped 100 degrees. The news doesn't just mean Phoenix has broken a heat record; it means it decimated it. Prior to this year, the longest the city has gone with 100 degree-plus temperatures in a row was 76, which was set back in 1993, according to the National Weather Service.

And the record-breaking heat isn't over. The NWS is forecasting a dangerous heat wave to expand and intensify across the West Coast this week.

"As we close out the work week, triple-digit highs will be commonplace from Seattle to Phoenix," said the NWS Weather Prediction Center. "Several daily high temperature records are expected over the Pacific Northwest Thursday into Saturday. Multiple days of 110-115F maximum temperatures are forecast for the typically hottest Desert Southwest locations."

Temperatures on Thursday are expected to soar into the 110s for the Desert Southwest, the 100s to near 110 in southern California, the mid-100s for the central California Valleys, and the low 100s for portions of the Pacific Northwest.

Widespread heat-related warnings and advisories are in place across much of the West Coast through Friday as the heat will be dangerous to anyone without effective air conditioning or sufficient hydration, the NWS said.

While not quite as hot, temperatures will also be well above average along the immediate Pacific Coast, with highs into the 80s for many locations.

Some relief from the oppressive heat will arrive over northern California and the Pacific Northwest this weekend as low pressure moves in from the west, although dangerous heat is expected to continue across the Southwest through next week.