Parts of California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest will have record-high temperatures through Friday because of a dangerous heat wave. In some places, this means there is a chance of getting sick from the heat and other dangers.
A strong heat dome is responsible for this long-lasting, out-of-season heat. A heat dome is a large area of high pressure that sits over an area, traps air, and heats it with lots of sunshine for days or weeks.
This week, more than a dozen daily high-temperature records were broken in the West as the heat dome got stronger. These days, a few dozen more could be broken.
It’s still too hot in California’s Central Valley and much of the Desert Southwest, so more records may be set or broken, the National Weather Service said.
People in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico are warned about the heat for more than 25 million people. Most of these heat alerts will still be in effect through Friday. People in Las Vegas and Death Valley will be on alert until Saturday.
It’s already too hot to stand. Since last weekend, several people in different parts of the US have died from illnesses caused by the heat.
This week, the daily high-temperature record could fall in a few places on one or more days. Several state records for warmth were broken Thursday in places like California, Arizona, and Nevada.
Several records were broken in the Las Vegas area. On Thursday, it was 111 degrees in Las Vegas, beating the old high of 110 degrees set in 2010.
In Death Valley, California, a high of 122 degrees broke a record set in 1996. And Thursday, the highest temperature of the day in Fresno, California, tied a record that had stood for 121 years. It got to 106 degrees in the Sacramento area as well.
Thursday was the hottest day ever in Phoenix, with 113 degrees. Flagstaff might get as hot as 105 to 111 degrees Thursday night through Friday night as per CNN.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, Utah, says that through at least Saturday, high temperatures will be up to 20 degrees above normal because it is early in the season.
