A brutal heatwave has shattered temperature records across the western US, leaving at least four people dead in Oregon, and dangerous weather is fuelling new wildfires with more heat expected to come.
Oregon faced triple-digit temperatures over the weekend, breaking several records: Salem reached 103F (39.4C) on Sunday, beating the previous record of 99F (37.2C) set in 1960. Officials in Multnomah County, home to Portland, said the weekend temperature broke the daily record. – Authorities said they were investigating four suspected heatwave-related deaths.
is more than 146 million Americans Extreme heat warnings were issued Monday in the Northwest and Southern U.S. as extreme temperatures continue to swell. Extreme heat warnings, the highest level issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), extend across the West, including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Extreme heat watches were also issued for parts of the East Coast, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
Dozens of places in the West and Pacific Northwest have tied or broken previous heat records in recent days. On Sunday, Las Vegas recorded an all-time high of 120F (48.8C), and across the desert, Death Valley National Park broke its daytime heat record with a temperature of 128F (53.3C). Just shy The hottest temperatures on record were recorded. A man was killed while riding his bike in the park due to dangerous temperatures.
Meanwhile, firefighters are battling a series of fires that ignited over the weekend’s brutal temperatures, with sweltering heat and dry conditions posing challenges for firefighters. Seventy-three major fires were burning across the country on Monday, totaling nearly 500,000 acres, according to the National Joint Fire Center, and fire conditions are expected to continue through the week.
California, covered in easily flaming grass after a wet winter, has been on fire for a week now, with firefighters battling 18 blazes.
In Santa Barbara County, the Lake Fire burned dry grass, brush and timber over the weekend, prompting the evacuations of several rural properties, including Neverland Ranch. The fire has grown to 20,320 acres and was 8% contained as of Monday morning.
Further north, the Shelley Fire, which began on July 3 in California’s Marble Mountain Wilderness, continues to threaten “communities, private forest land, cultural resources and wilderness” as it grew in strength through the weekend, Cal Fire said in an update Monday.
“Yesterday and today, we experienced problematic weather conditions that led to dangerous fire behavior,” said John Chester, operations division chief for Cal Fire’s Siskiyou Unit. “We expect the same weather patterns and forecasts to continue over the next few days.”
Fire conditions are also intense in Utah, with several large fires spreading rapidly.
The Silver King Fire has burned more than 10,823 acres (more than 4,500 acres in a single day), is moving aggressively and is 0% contained. Hundreds of homes remain at risk as state officials secured federal assistance on Monday.
“Warming and drying trends continue today with extreme heat warnings in effect. Relative humidity will continue to drop to 10-15 percent as temperatures continue to rise above average,” U.S. Forest Service officials said in an update on the fires Monday morning, adding that gusty winds will continue to fan the flames. “These factors combine to create extreme fire weather.”
The heatwave came as global temperatures hit a record high for the 13th consecutive month in June and the 12th consecutive month that was 1.5C (2.7F) warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to European meteorological agency Copernicus.
While parts of California will see some relief from the heat, scorching temperatures are expected to continue across the Western U.S. this week. More records are expected to be broken as the heat wave moves north into Oregon and Washington, and east across parts of the Great Basin and Arizona. “The heat over the past few days and record-breaking nighttime temperatures will continue to cause heatstroke in people without adequate cooling and hydration,” NWS meteorologists said. I have written The forecast was released on Monday.
The rare heat advisory was extended to include higher elevations, including the area around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, warning that “significant heat risk is expected in mountain areas.”
More extreme temperatures are expected in the near future, with Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, potentially reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) around midweek. The highest officially recorded temperature on Earth is 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.67 degrees Celsius), recorded in Death Valley in July 1913, though some experts dispute that measurement, claiming the actual record is 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) recorded there in July 2021.
Park officials warned visitors to take the heat seriously. “This is an exciting time in Death Valley to experience potentially world-record temperatures, but we urge visitors to exercise caution and avoid being outside air-conditioned vehicles or buildings for extended periods of time when temperatures are this high,” park manager Mike Reynolds said.
Heatwaves and wildfires in the US
