United States

Cattle walk the pasture at sunset as record breaking heat moves across the country Monday, June 25, 2012 in Bradfordton, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

The outrageous heat wave baking the nation's midsection reached unprecedented levels in some areas on Monday.

At least six all-time record high temperatures fell in parts of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado as the heat wave reached its crescendo to start the workweek.

Denver, Colo., was among the cities to make history, tying the all-time record of 105 degrees, reached only two other times since the beginning of records in the city, 1872 (July 20, 2005 and Aug. 8, 1878).

The Mile High City has a shot at tying or perhaps breaking the record again today. The official AccuWeather.com forecast calls for the temperature to rise to 105 once again!

In addition to tying the all-time high, Monday's 105 was also a record for the month of June. Nearly a dozen other cities from Colorado to Arkansas established new all-time records for the calendar month.

A couple of 113-degree readings in Kansas on Monday nearly claimed the top spot for the hottest temperature on planet earth! Only six other observing stations in the Middle East were hotter on Monday, with Makkah, Saudi Arabia, leading the pack at a blistering 117.

A cooperative weather station near Tribune, Kan., which set an all-time record high of 109 on Sunday, turned around and beat the new record by a full 2 degrees on Monday.

Perhaps even more impressive, the new all-time record high of 113 at Norton Dam, Kan., broke the daily record by an incredible 9 degrees!

For many areas, the heat has been going strong for days.

An anomalously strong ridge of high pressure has been the driving force for the heat, with the core of the warmth stretching from Texas north to Montana. The ridge may have actually been strengthened or "pumped up" by Tropical Storm Debby spinning to the south and east in the Gulf of Mexico.

Monday represented the sixth consecutive day of record highs in Alamosa, Colo. For Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colo., new record highs were established for the fourth consecutive day.

Proximity to the Gulf of Mexico coastline offered little relief from the heat, with the record at Corpus Christi toppled by a whopping 6 degrees.

At Galveston, Texas, it was the earliest 100-degree day in any calendar year since at least 1875.

No matter how you slice up the records, it was red hot on Monday:

Note: Temperature observations and records above are from both official National Weather Service observing stations and cooperative weather stations. Data from cooperative stations, while reliable, is not considered official by the National Weather Service until the end of each month.