A prolonged heat wave that has already broken previous records in the US is set to continue, setting parts of the West ablaze. dangerous temperatures According to meteorologists, temperatures will rise above 40 degrees Celsius and the east will remain in a warm and humid grip all week.
An extreme heat warning — the National Weather Service’s highest alert — was in effect for about 36 million people, or about 10% of the population, with temperatures in Oregon expected to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) on Sunday and as high as 115 degrees (46.1 C) in some parts of California, NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson said.
“We expect a couple dozen of them, on the order of 30, to match or break their daily record for high temperatures in the western and northwestern Pacific,” Jackson said.
The scorching temperatures broke several records on Saturday: Reading, California, had a record high of 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48.3 degrees Celsius), breaking the all-time high of 118 degrees Celsius; Ukiah, north of San Francisco, hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius), breaking the city record for that date and tying the all-time high; and Livermore, east of San Francisco, hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit (43.8 degrees Celsius), breaking the daily high record of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.7 degrees Celsius) set more than a century ago in 1905.
Las Vegas tied the record high of 115°F (46°C), last set in 2007, and Phoenix reached a high of 114°F (45.5°C), just shy of the record high of 116°F (46.7°C) set in 1942.
According to Marko Boscovich, the best way to beat the Las Vegas heat is to sit behind a slot machine with a cold beer in an air-conditioned casino.
“But you know, once it gets to triple digits, it’s kind of the same for me,” said Boscovich, who was visiting from Sparks, Nevada, to see Dead & Company in concert at the Sphere on Saturday night. “They might play one of my favorites — ‘Cold Rain and Snow.'”
On the more humid East Coast, temperatures were expected to top 100 degrees, although no extreme heat warnings were in effect for the region on Sunday, Jackson said. On Saturday, Raleigh, North Carolina, reached a record high of 106 degrees F (41.1 C), with a maximum heat index of 118 F (47.7 C), he said.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check on family members and neighbors,” reads a National Weather Service warning for the Baltimore area. “Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”
Heat records broken in the southwest
Rare heat warnings were even extended to higher elevations, including around Lake Tahoe, on the California-Nevada border, with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, warning of “high heat risks, even in the mountains.”
“How hot is it? Well, high temperatures in (western Nevada and northeastern California) won’t be below 100 degrees (37.8 C) until next weekend,” the service reported online. “And unfortunately, there won’t be much relief tonight either.”
In Reno, a high of 40 degrees Celsius was reached on Saturday, breaking the old record of 38.3 degrees Celsius.
Even more extreme temperatures are expected soon, including 129 F (53.8 C) on Sunday in Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley National Park, and then around 130 F (54.4 C) through Wednesday.
The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 in Death Valley, in eastern California. Some experts dispute this measurement, saying the real record was 130 F (54.4 C), recorded in July 2021.
The death toll is increasing
In Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, there have been at least 13 confirmed heat-related deaths this year, along with more than 160 other deaths suspected of being heat-related that are still under investigation, a recent report found.
That does not include the death of a 10-year-old boy last week in Phoenix who suffered a “heat-related medical event” while hiking with family at South Mountain Park and Preserve, police said.
California wildfires fueled by low humidity and high temperatures
Firefighters sent planes and helicopters to drop water or fire retardant against a series of wildfires in California.
In Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, the Lake Fire has burned more than 19 square miles (49 square kilometers) of grass, brush and wood. Fire officials said the blaze was showing “extreme fire behavior” and had “potential for large growth” with high temperatures and low humidity.
Festival-goers brave the heat with cold water and shade
At the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, music fans coped by drinking cold water, seeking shade or cooling off under spray. Organizers of the weekend party also advertised free access to air conditioning at a nearby hotel.
Angelica Quiroz, 31, kept her scarf and hat wet and applied sunscreen.
“Certainly a difference between the shade and the sun,” Quiroz said Friday. “But when you’re in the sun, it feels like you’re cooking.”
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In an earlier version of this story, the name Angelica Quiroz was misspelled as Angela Quiroz.
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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho, and Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Associated Press reporters Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina; John Antczak in Los Angeles; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Julie Walker in New York; and Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia, contributed to this report.