Over 25 cities set or tied records for high temperatures on Saturday during the dangerous heatwave that swept across the United States. As extreme heat shifts east, approximately 53 million people remain under excessive heat warnings.
California’s Death Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature recorded (134 degrees), which was set more than 100 years ago. Saturday was 122 degrees in Death Valley. Palm Springs and Phoenix (Ariz.) tied for second at 114. Both cities match previous records.
Robert Oravec, a leading forecaster for the National Weather Service, stated that the heat will begin to move away from Southwest starting Monday and travel east towards the Mississippi River Valley in the coming days.
“It will eventually stretch eventually by midweek from the Great Lakes and the Southern Plains eastward. Oravec stated that it is not too hot in the northeast, but more on average. It’s a typical heatwave pattern that started in the Southwest and is now spreading to the plains. It’s almost mid-June, so it’s not unusual to see weather patterns that support heatwaves.
According to forecasts, Sunday’s temperatures will break or tie records at 37 stations across Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. According to forecasts, the high temperature in Phoenix will reach 113 degrees.
According to NWS forecasts, the temperatures in Southwestern Nebraska will reach 109 degrees on Monday. Oravec stated that the extreme heat will continue east where it could reach record highs but isn’t expected to spread beyond the Appalachian Mountain Range.
Warnings and advisories for excessive heat were issued Friday across the Southwestern United States, extending from California to Texas. The NWS states that residents who receive excessive heat warnings should expect temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees above the normal.
These areas will also see little respite at night as temperatures rise to 75 degrees over the overnight mark. The NWS warns that these conditions are a risk for heat-related diseases.
Some parts of the region saw temperatures as high as 114 degrees Saturday, including Palm Springs, California, and Las Vegas, Nev. According to NWS forecasts, temperatures in most areas won’t drop below 80 degrees until Tuesday.
Extreme heat can pose a danger to anyone. However, vulnerable individuals such as young children and elderly adults, or those with underlying medical conditions, should be aware of the risks. The NWS recommends that you slow down and only do strenuous activity during the coolest hours of the day. To stay hydrated, avoid unnecessary heat and sun exposure.
You can spend time at public places like libraries, cinemas, and malls that have air conditioning if you don’t have it. To cool down, you can also take a cold bath or shower.
The NWS warns that if it’s warmer than 90 degrees inside your home, you will be more dehydrated if you blow warm air through a portable fan. Instead, you can use the fan to expel heat from any room where you are seeking refuge.
According to the NWS, pets and children under the age of 3 should not be left in the vehicle while you run errands.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that a car’s internal temperature can rise to 20 degrees in ten minutes. The body temperature of a child rises three to five times faster than that of an adult; 23 children were killed by vehicular heatstroke last summer.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitoring, severe to extraordinary drought conditions are already affecting large parts of the West and Southwest United States. This weekend’s heatwave is accompanied by increased wildfire danger.
The NWS has issued “Fire Weather Watches AEUR” which alerts that the conditions are perfect, but not imminent for wildfires in New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. These advisories don’t necessarily mean that there will be a wildfire, but they can alert residents to be ready in case of one.
