Record-Breaking Fatal Heat Waves Continue to Scorch the Western US

According to AccuWeather meteorologists, a significant heat wave will continue to affect most of the western United States through the middle of this week, breaking other all-time highs for September and setting new records for daily high temperatures. However, some respite is on the way owing to a cold front and maybe a tropical cyclone.

Extreme Heat

(Photo : Photo: Mendy Ezagui / Unsplash)
Scorching Heat at the Valley of Fire, Nevada.

Contrary to cooler and/or wetter conditions in the East, close to 50 million people in at least nine states in the West will have to put up with oppressive heat through the middle of this week. About 40 million people were under an extreme heat warning as of Monday, spanning much of California to southern Nevada and western Arizona.

Also Read: Amidst Intense Heat, California Declares Grid Emergency, Officials Fear Mass Blackout  

Heat All Over California

Failing circumstances occurred in Phoenix's southwest hub on Monday due to the heat. Around 1:30 pm, a hiker in the city's Cave Creek neighborhood was pronounced dead. After local officials reacted to complaints of heat exhaustion, local time. When the surrounding temperatures reached 110 F, several other people in the region were also saved.

The deadly heat will continue as millions of people return to work and school following the Labor Day vacation. When exercising outside or engaging in intense labor, experts advise care and drinking lots of water. They recommend choosing an air-conditioned setting whenever and whenever feasible.

On Sunday, downtown Los Angeles saw its warmest day of the year thus far. At the main campus of the University of Southern California, the peak temperature of 103 F on September 4 was over 20 degrees higher than usual. The maximum temperature recorded in Los Angeles before September arrived was 95 F.

On Friday, September 2, Fresno, California, tied its all-time September high of 111 degrees. On the third day of September in 1955, the last time it reached that high, it was there. The last time it happened before that was on September 11, 1888.

According to a video taken on Thursday, the Furnace Creek thermometer at Death Valley National Park registered 127 F. That would be the warmest September temperature ever measured on Earth. However, this thermometer frequently reads a few degrees higher than the actual temperature in the park because heat from the surrounding parking lot and sunshine shining directly on the thermometer artificially raise the reading. Even said, authorities could look into the weather to see if the actual temperature hit or surpassed the September heat record of 125 F. This investigation might take months or even years.

At Sacramento International Airport on Monday, the temperature reached 117 F, breaking the previous record of 115 F established on June 15, 1961.

During the heat wave, Salt Lake City, twice in three days, set a new record high temperature for September. The record was first beaten on Saturday, September 3, when the temperature reached 103 F. Then, on Monday, temperature measurement of 104 F broke the previous September record. According to AccuWeather meteorologists, this recently set record may still be broken on Wednesday.

For the rest of the week and this weekend, a sizable area of high pressure parked over the west's interior is expected to diminish a little. As a result, a front with colder air will be able to cut through the Northwestern states and the central Rockies as it moves south from Canada.

Heat Alleviation

How much the high-pressure region weakens will determine how far the temperature trend will go south. The proximity of Hurricane Kay and its moisture to northern Baja California, Mexico, before it turns westward and heads out to sea across the Pacific will be another determining factor.

Related Article: Extreme Heat Waves Can Cause More Power Outages

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