As the potentially hazardous heat wave continues, two major U.S. cities recorded their warmest daily temperatures on Friday, sending millions of people in the southwestern states under notice of excessive heat.
The National Weather Service said that Las Vegas established a new record of 111 degrees for June 6 and Phoenix hit a scorching 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, surpassing the previous day high of 111 degrees set in 2016 for this time of year.
On Friday, at least 86 million individuals in the continental United States will experience temperatures of 90 degrees or higher, and at least 14 million people in the southwestern states should expect temperatures of 100 degrees or higher.
At a rally for former President Donald Trump in Phoenix on Thursday, the heat made at least 11 people sick and necessitated medical treatment, according to the city’s fire department. A few had stood outside in the intense heat waiting for the event to begin.
Temperatures in Death Valley, California, surpassed the 1996 record of 121 degrees with a reading of 122. Although some climate experts have questioned that claim, Death Valley in 1913 had the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States at 134 degrees.
In addition to becoming hotter earlier in the year, it is becoming hotter throughout the day. According to the NWS, the lowest temperature ever recorded at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport on Thursday was 85 degrees, which is 9 degrees higher than the typical low for early June.
The low this morning at Sky Harbor was 85° F which was 9° F above normal for this time of year. #azwx pic.twitter.com/fcCfBk6icJ
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) June 6, 2024
When the temperature gets close to thirty degrees, many mountain trails are often closed. Hiking is not recommended today, as stated on Facebook by the Phoenix Fire Department.
Every fire truck now has a “immersion” ice bag that sunstroke victims can use to rapidly reduce their body temperature, according to Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller, who made the announcement on Thursday. According to Keller, the goal is to save lives.
Read Also: Beat the Heat: Discover an Underrated Cool Escape in Arizona
“The survivability that we’re seeing is going through the roof when we can get these patients cooled down before we arrive to the hospital,” Keller stated.
He said that a large portion of the 645 heat-related deaths that occurred in the metro Phoenix area last year were among the city’s homeless people. “If they fall asleep or they’re sleeping on the concrete they’re gonna get third degree burns,” he stated.
The local community is severely impacted by heat, both financially and physically, not to mention their pets. Phoenix resident Camille Rabbani avoids paying excessive utility costs by setting her thermostat to a stuffy 83 degrees. Riggs, her dog, can’t handle any higher.
“We were trying 86 and he was like huffing and puffing and I was like, ‘that’s not good.’ And then we just kind of got to, like, 83 was manageable,” she stated.
For Friday, Antelope Valley and East Antelope Valley’s desert regions are under a heat alert issued by Los Angeles County.
Read Also: Vegas Swelters: Triple-Digit Heat Wave Threatens Record Early 110 Degrees
Extreme heat is expected throughout the Deep South this weekend, extending from New Orleans to Florida, where forecasts predict that temperatures along the state’s east coast, from Sanford to West Palm Beach, might break records.
On Sunday, the heat index—a gauge of how hot it feels—could rise to three figures throughout the South. It is recommended that those who observe someone experiencing signs of heat stroke, such as nausea and vertigo, phone 911 right away.
