A punishing and relentless heat wave is just getting underway in the South, with some spots forecast to peak above 110 degrees starting this weekend. But the heat will not stay in the South; next week it is forecast to move north and east, spreading 100-degree temperatures across the Ohio Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic.

The National Weather Service is forecasting 75 or more record-high temperatures to be approached or broken from Friday to Tuesday alone, and that number is likely to grow significantly into next week. Early next week a few cities in the Plains states may even flirt with their all-time record highs. However, when all is said and done, the bigger story will likely be how long this heat wave lasts.

Jeff Masters, Ph.D., founder of the popular site Weather Underground and a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections, says what concerns him most is the prolonged exposure to the heat. "The heat wave will be very long-lived, lasting multiple weeks in some areas with only a few days of near-normal temperatures during that span. This will increase the odds of heat illness and heat-related deaths."

The bigger these heat domes grow, the hotter and longer-lasting heat waves become. And this will be a big one. More than 80% of the nation — 265 million people — will sweat through highs above 90 within the next week. Another 45 million will suffer through triple-digit temperatures.

The core of the heat this weekend will build across the western lower Plains and the Southwest.

Students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have been attending parties in the city and surrounding area as part of a disturbing contest to see who can catch the virus first, a city council member told ABC News on Wednesday.

Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students have been organizing "COVID parties" as a game to intentionally infect each other with the contagion that has killed more than 127,000 people in the United States. She said she recently learned of the behavior and informed the city council of the parties occurring in the city.

She said the organizers of the parties are purposely inviting guests who have COVID-19.

"They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense," McKinstry said. "They're intentionally doing it."