With temperatures forecast to rise 15 to 20 degrees above normal, extreme heat warnings and heat advisories are in place for most of California, western and southern Nevada, western and southern Arizona, and parts of Utah, New Mexico, and southwest Texas. Places including Las Vegas, southeastern California and desert areas of southwestern Texas have recorded the highest risk of extreme heat from the National Weather Service. Heat hazard Forecasting, which assesses the risk to human health.
Officials recommend that people limit their time outside during the hottest part of the day, stay hydrated and access air conditioning. They also remind caregivers Never forget anyone in a hot car.
Heat has spread from Mexico to the western United States, which has been hit by a prolonged and deadly heat wave in recent weeks. Scientific analysis indicates that warming is caused by human-caused climate change.
After several calendar-day records were set in Texas on Tuesday, including 111 degrees in San Angelo and 109 degrees in Del Rio, the heat spread across Arizona and California on Wednesday. Calendar-day entries for Wednesday include:
To the east, Florida continues to boil. Fort Myers hit 98 on Wednesday, tying its record for the date. Several places in the Four Corners states and California recorded top-5 highs for the date, with 108 in Las Vegas, the city’s second-hottest high recorded on June 5. Phoenix reached 108, while California’s Central Valley topped the 100s.
The scorching heat continues through the weekend
Forecasters expect the worst of the heat to hit parts of California’s Central Valley and Desert Southwest Thursday through Saturday.
Temperatures in the central California cities of Redding, Chico, Yuba City, Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto are forecast to reach between 100 and 105, or nearly 15 degrees above normal, on Thursday and Friday in the foothills. Most of the region was under a Level 3 heat risk, described as “extreme” heat that “affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration.”
Las Vegas is predicted to be one of the hottest destinations. The heat risk forecast for the three-day period was at Level 4, which is described as “rare and/or prolonged periods of intense heat with little to no relief overnight”. Parts of southwest Texas were also at a heat risk of 4 on Thursday, before moisture is expected to lower the risk to a level 3 on Friday and into the weekend.
Several major cities are in line for dangerous, record-breaking heat:
- In Death Valley, Calif., is forecast to approach 123 on Thursday and Friday and between 117 and 119 on Friday and Saturday. If the temperature reaches 124, it will be the highest for the beginning of the year.
- Las Vegas A high near 112 was forecast for Thursday, marking the city’s warmest start of the year, with Friday and Saturday ranging from 108 to 111. The average high for this year is 97.
- Phoenix Was ready for it Hottest day so far this year Thursday’s high was 113, compared to the average high of 102 for the date.
- Tucson Highs forecast for Thursday and Friday will be 107 to 108. Wednesday was the city’s first 105-degree day, coming days ahead of schedule. On average, the first day of the city occurs on June 11.
Other hot spots include South Texas, where the heat index is forecast to range from 110 to 115 on Thursday; Albuquerque and Roswell in New Mexico, where highs will be near 100; and Salt Lake City, where highs are expected into the mid-90s through the weekend.
Major coastal cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are cooler. Marine influenceDaytime highs only in the 70s to near 80s.
Forecast models show heat easing across the western United States late into the weekend. But the weather service warned that “dangerous heat will then engulf much of the Great Basin and Intermountain West and persist into next week.”
The heat reaches the top of the climate index
The ongoing heat wave is a direct result of a high-pressure heat dome that has scorched Mexico for weeks — resulting in The country’s hottest and driest May on record – before spreading to the southern parts of the northern and western United States this week. Such thermal domes compress the clouds, compressing the air beneath them and heating the air.
Climate Center Climate Change Index Also pointing to the influence of human-caused climate change, much of the southwestern United States is reaching Level 5. This is the highest level of the index, indicating that human-caused climate change has produced five times more such warming.
Ian Livingston contributed to this report.
