The US Southwest has experienced record-breaking heat and excessive heat warnings as a result of the second major heat wave of the year. On Friday, temperature continued to soar past 110 degrees Fahrenheit ( 43 degrees Celsius ) from California to Arizona, following a time of unprecedented temperature.
About half of Arizona and Nevada were in the grip of an overheating temperature update, which the National Weather Service extended through Friday night despite only being two days ahead. In Las Vegas, where it has never been this warm thus early in the year, the notice was extended through Saturday.
Over the weekend, temperatures are anticipated to eventually drop, but they will remain above average until the first week of next week.
Las Vegas set a new record of 111 F ( 43.8 C ) on Thursday, matching the earliest point in the year that the city has reached 110 F ( 43.3 C ). On Friday afternoon, temperatures in Las Vegas climbed to 110 F ( 48.3 C), breaking another record set in 2013. Before twilight, the National Weather Service warned that the wind could get even hotter.
In Phoenix, a new record high of 113 F ( 45 C ) on Thursday surpassed the previous record of 111 F ( 44 C ) set in 2016. Forecasters called the weather “dangerously popular” and described the situation.
Eleanor Wallace, a 9- yr- old visiting Phoenix from north Utah to celebrate her birthday with a hike, remarked on the extreme heat, saying,” It’s thus warm”.
There are no pending reports of severe injuries or deaths related to heat. But, at a campaign rally for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Phoenix on Thursday, 11 people were hospitalized for heat stress. Trump is scheduled to hold a second rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, where the high is expected to be 104 F ( 40 C ).
The region is expected to experience a slight cooling this weekend, but temperatures in central and southern Arizona and parts of southern Nevada will still be in the triple digits, possibly reaching up to 110 F ( 43 C ).
Other areas also saw record- breaking heat on Thursday, including Death Valley National Park, where temperatures hit a record 122 F ( 50 C), surpassing the previous record of 121 F ( 49.4 C ) set in 1996. Death Valley documents date back to 1911.
The temperature wave arrived earlier than usual, also in higher elevations that are generally cooler by about a hundred degrees. Reno, for instance, recorded a high of 98 F ( 37 C ) on Thursday, well above the normal high of 81 F ( 27 C ) for this time of year. Reno information date back to 1888.
In Phoenix on Thursday, despite the sweltering temperature, Oscar Tomasio from Cleveland, Ohio, proposed to his partner, Megan McCracken, during a morning climb on Camelback Mountain. In an effort to withstand the temperature and prevent a road closure, they each carried three liters of water.
” It was a painful hike”, Tomasio told The Associated Press. ” It was more popular, so we started further early. The sights were wonderful. Because she was a little agitated with the heat, we did n’t quite make it to the top. So I said “yes” to her when the moon rose.
According to McCracken, the climb was supposed to begin at sunrise and end at 5 a.m. in an effort to prevent the scorching heat. ” Probably not early enough”, she added.
( With agency input )
