A prolonged heat wave that has already broken previous records across the U.S. will scorch parts of the West. Dangerous Temperatures High temperatures will soar into the 100s and hot and humid conditions will continue in the East all week, forecasters said Sunday.
The National Weather Service’s highest warning, an extreme heat warning, has been issued for about 36 million people, or about 10 percent of the population, and temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) on Sunday in Oregon and reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 Celsius) in parts of California, said Brian Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“We expect dozens of tropical storms, up to 30, to tie or break daily record high temperatures across the West and Pacific Northwest,” Jackson said.
Scorching temperatures broke numerous records on Saturday. In Redding, California, a high of 119 degrees (48.3 degrees Celsius) was recorded, beating the previous record of 118 degrees. In Ukiah, north of San Francisco, a temperature of 117 degrees (47 degrees Celsius) broke the city’s record for the hottest day in that city and tied the city’s all-time record. In Livermore, east of San Francisco, a temperature of 111 degrees (43.8 degrees Celsius) was recorded, beating the previous daily high of 109 degrees (42.7 degrees Celsius) set in 1905 more than a century ago.
Las Vegas tied the record of 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) last set in 2007, while Phoenix recorded its highest temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius), just shy of the 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.7 degrees Celsius) set in 1942.
Marko Boskovic said the best way to beat the Las Vegas heat was to sit at a slot machine in an air-conditioned casino and sip a cold beer.
“But once you get past triple digits, it’s all the same to me,” says Boskovich, who came from Sparks, Nevada, to see Dead & Company in concert at the Sphere on Saturday night. “Maybe they’ll play ‘Cold Rain and Snow,’ one of my favorite songs.”
Temperatures on the humid East Coast were expected to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but no heat watches were issued for the region on Sunday, Jackson said. On Saturday, the temperature reached a record of 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.1 degrees Celsius) in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a maximum heat index of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.7 degrees Celsius).
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, avoid sunlight and check on relatives and neighbors,” the National Weather Service warned in a warning for the Baltimore area. “Under no circumstances should you leave young children or pets in a car.”
Heat records broken across the Southwest
A rare heat advisory was also extended to higher elevations, including around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, warning of “significant heat risk impacts in mountain areas.”
“How hot will it be? Well, high temperatures (in western Nevada and northeastern California) won’t drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) until next weekend,” the weather service posted online. “And unfortunately, it won’t get much cooler at night, either.”
In fact, Reno recorded a high of 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, breaking the previous record of 101 degrees (38.3 degrees Celsius).
More extreme temperatures are expected in the near future, with Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park, California, reaching 129 degrees Fahrenheit (53.8 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, then rising to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) through Wednesday.
The highest officially recorded temperature on Earth is 134°F (56.67°C), recorded in Death Valley in eastern California in July 1913, but some experts dispute that measurement, claiming the actual record is 130°F (54.4°C), recorded in July 2021.
The death toll is starting to rise
At least 13 heatstroke deaths have been confirmed this year in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, and at least 160 more deaths are suspected to be heatstroke-related and are under investigation, according to recent reports.
That doesn’t include a 10-year-old boy who died of “heat stroke” in Phoenix last week while hiking with his family in South Mountain Park Preserve, police said.
California wildfires exacerbated by low humidity and rising temperatures
Firefighters have deployed planes and helicopters to drop water and fire extinguishing agents on a string of wildfires across California.
In Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, the Lake Fire has burned more than 19 square miles (49 square kilometers) of grass, shrubs and timber. Firefighters said the blaze was showing “extreme fire behavior” and had “significant growth potential” due to high temperatures and low humidity.
Festival goers escape the heat with cool water and shade
At the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, music fans coped by drinking cold water, seeking shade and using mist sprays to freshen up. Festival organizers over the weekend also touted free use of air conditioning at nearby hotels.
Angelica Quiroz, 31, was applying sunscreen to her wet scarf and hat.
“There’s obviously a difference between shade and sun,” Quiroz said Friday, “but when you’re in the sun, it feels like you’re cooking.”
