Las Vegas recorded record-breaking heat on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for the fifth consecutive day, in what forecasters are calling the “most extreme heat wave” ever recorded in the “Sin City.”
The previous record of four consecutive days with thermostats reading 115 degrees or higher was set nearly two decades ago, in 2005. And with the heatwave expected to continue through the weekend, the city could add more days to its latest record.
The new record is just one of 16 heat records Las Vegas has broken since early June, including a high of 120 degrees on Sunday.
“We’re not even halfway through July yet,” said meteorologist Morgan Stessman.
At least nine people have died this year from the heat in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, and officials say the death toll may be much higher.
Meteorologists said the prolonged heatwave was the “most extreme heat wave” to hit Las Vegas since the National Weather Service began keeping records for the city in 1937.
Many residents said they try to avoid going outside if possible.
“It’s stiflingly hot,” said longtime resident Alice Sobosan. “It feels like life is impossible.”
Experiments have shown that the outdoor air in Las Vegas is hot enough to melt a crayon in 30 minutes. Shared by the National Weather Service In the city.
But soaring temperatures aren’t just limited to Sin City.
More than 142 million people across the country received heat warnings in the region on Wednesday, with many other regions breaking records as well, particularly in the wildfire-prone West.
In Oregon, temperatures reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit in cities including Portland on Tuesday, breaking single-day temperature records, and at least 10 people died of heatstroke across the state.
In Arizona, three hikers have died in separate incidents in recent weeks in the Grand Canyon, where thermostats can read 120 degrees Fahrenheit even in the shade on certain trails.
And last Friday, a 4-year-old girl died of heat stroke in Lake Havasu, California, according to the local sheriff’s office.
“We are devastated and heartbroken. We are at a loss for words,” her grieving mother, Tanya Wroblewski, wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
Temperatures in the Grand Canyon State reached triple digits for several days, leaving hundreds of residents in the community of Bowie without access to water while the Bowie Water Company dealt with mechanical issues that may not be repaired until Friday.According to KOLD.
Many city leaders have set up public cooling centers in community centers to help those without air conditioning or housing.
As a dangerous heatwave sweeps across the country, officials and experts are encouraging people to stay indoors as much as possible.
“Even seemingly healthy people of average age can get heatstroke if they’re too hot and can’t cool themselves down,” said Alexis Brignola, an epidemiologist with the Southern Nevada Health Department.
With post wire
