Axios

If it's way too hot where you are right now, don't expect lasting relief any time soon.

Threat level: Areas experiencing a long-duration heat wave, like much of the South and parts of the Plains, are likely to continue to sweat under a strong, meandering heat dome.

The battle for the EV future pits legacy automakers against swashbuckling (if cash-strapped) startups, but the new VW-Rivian tie-up suggests a third way forward.

Why it matters: As Axios' Nathan Bomey reports, VW's plan to invest up to $5 billion in Rivian is a major validation of Rivian's tech and an acknowledgment by VW that it's playing catchup in the global EV race.

Much of the Midwest was under flash flooding and tornado warnings into Wednesday morning, with large hail the latest threat to the region that's been inundated with heavy rains in the searing heat this week.

The big picture: Days of historic flooding rains that have hit Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota have prompted evacuations and water rescues and breached levees, and nearly three million people were under flood warnings and watches on Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service is suffering yet another major data outage, this time coinciding with deadly flooding in the Midwest and a widespread heat wave affecting tens of millions of people.

Why it matters: The outage is part of a pattern of telecommunications breakdowns at the weather and climate forecasting agency. The problem is inhibiting life-saving warnings from going out in some cases.

Outdoor and even indoor workers in the states being hardest hit by a dangerous heat wave have few if any protections to keep them safe.

Why it matters: About 64.3 million people in the U.S. — including millions of Latino laborers — are under heat alerts, with a brutal wave hitting large swaths of the country.

Extreme wildfire events during the past two decades more than doubled in frequency and magnitude globally, with the six worst seasons occurring during the past seven years, a new study found.

Why it matters: Intense wildfires — as measured by satellites — are more difficult to fight, emit vast quantities of greenhouse gases and noxious smoke, and can cause disastrous consequences for communities.

A new digital mapping tool that highlights electric vehicle "charging deserts" found a surprise: Los Angeles is pocked with them.

Why it matters: If a monster EV market like L.A. can't get public charging right, the rest of America is probably not doing much better.

Midwest residents hit by historic flooding face the threats of further inundation into Tuesday, with officials in Minnesota particularly concerned that the Rapidan Dam in Mankato is in "imminent failure condition."

The big picture: At least one death has been reported in South Dakota and another in Iowa from days of flooding rains that have forced a town to evacuate and collapsed a bridge connecting Sioux City, Iowa, with North Sioux City, South Dakota.