
More than 25 million people across the western US are under heat alerts, as a heat wave is expected to bring dangerously high temperatures from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest this week. Temperatures are expected to reach triple digits in several areas as the intense heat moves northward from drought-stricken Mexico.
The extreme heat is being driven by a heat dome—a high-pressure system trapping hot air in place while preventing precipitation. Temperatures in California could reach up to 20 degrees above normal in many areas, with Death Valley predicting temperatures near 120 degrees. Elsewhere, Phoenix and Las Vegas could both hit 110 degrees for the first time this year by Thursday. See a heat risk map here.
Temperatures will cool only slightly at night, elevating the risk for heat-related illness. Excessive heat causes hundreds of deaths annually in the US, with over 2,300 deaths last summer, the highest number in 45 years of records.
Comments