Record heat in California leads to deaths and hospitalizations

Hundreds of new temperature records could be broken in the coming days. Extreme heat hits western and eastern US, reports CNN, KTLA и ABC News.

Photo: IStock

Nearly 70 million people have been warned that extreme heat is expected this week. That's about 10% of the population, according to National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Brian Jackson. Dozens of places in the West and Pacific Northwest have broken previous temperature records.

Record high temperatures

More than three dozen temperature records were set or broken on July 6, according to the National Weather Service. The West Coast and parts of the Great Basin are expected to reach 32°C to 43°C.

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“In the West, the heat will continue until early next week,” the weather service said. “Absolute temperature records are expected in some places.”

By Wednesday, their number may exceed 250 maximum indicators. Nearly 40 million people in the continental US will experience temperatures above 40°C over the next seven days.

The heat also broke records in the southwest. Warnings of excessively hot days extended even to high mountain areas, including the area near Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. The weather service in Reno, Nevada, warned of "significant heat risks even in the mountains."

High temperatures across western Nevada and northeastern California won't drop below 37,8°C until next weekend. Unfortunately, the nights will not bring relief either.

In Las Vegas, the temperature reached +43°C, repeating the records of 2007 and 1989. The heat in the city set a record not only in terms of peak temperatures, but also in duration. In Las Vegas, since July 3, the thermometer has exceeded +43°C every day. The sultry weather is forecast to continue until at least next Sunday, June 14th.

In California, the city of Daggett set a new temperature record - here the figures reached +47°C. In Bishop, temperatures rose to 48°C, and in the Sacramento area they jumped to almost 50°C.

Many areas of Northern California saw temperatures reach a maximum of 43,3°C, with the city of Redding setting a record of 48,3°C. Phoenix also recorded a new high for its highest minimum temperature on Sunday, never falling below 33,3°C.

Oregon also broke several records, including in Salem, where the temperature reached 39,4°C on Sunday, surpassing the previous high of 37,2°C recorded in 1960.

Forty-degree heat and humidity in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast will gradually subside over the next week. It will last the longest along the Gulf Coast and the Carolinas, the weather service said.

Fire danger

In the West, a heat wave is forecast to spread into the Great Basin and northern High Plains this week. It will last until mid-July. The scorching sun on the West Coast could cause major wildfires in California. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), more than 3000 fires across the state this year have already destroyed at least 60 hectares of forest. Cal Fire spokesman Nick Schuler says high temperatures have become a major concern for the more than 3500 firefighters battling blazes across the state.

“The problems are huge. We have to fight the fire elements in mountainous and remote areas,” noted Schuler.

Death Valley breaks records

The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 56,67°C in July 1913 in Death Valley, although some experts dispute this. They claim that the real record there was recorded in July 2021 at +54,4 °C.

Temperatures in Death Valley could reach 9°C on July 55, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.

Extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths. It claims hundreds of lives every year.

For example, temperatures above +50 °C in Death Valley have already led to the death of a motorcyclist in this national park. Another person was hospitalized with severe heatstroke.

Due to high temperatures, medical helicopters were unable to arrive at the scene of the tragedy in time, since they are technically unable to fly safely at temperatures above +48,8 °C.

Both victims were part of a group of six motorcyclists traveling through the Badwater Basin area. The remaining four people were examined at the scene.

“While this is a very exciting time to experience potentially record-breaking temperatures in Death Valley, we urge visitors to be cautious and avoid prolonged periods outside of air-conditioned buildings or vehicle interiors,” park manager Mike Reynolds said.

The effects of heat stroke can accumulate over a day or even several days. In the case of motorcyclists, the effects of the heat were aggravated by heavy motorcycle gear.

When it's hot it's fun

The rising temperatures didn't faze Death Valley visitor Chris Kinsel, who said it was "like Christmas" to be there on a record-breaking hot day. Kinsel explained that he and his wife usually visit the park in the winter, when it's still quite warm, but it's nothing compared to being in one of the hottest places on Earth in July.

“Death Valley has always been on my bucket list in the summer. Most of my life I wanted to come here in the summer,” Kinsel said. He plans to go to the park's visitor center to take a photo next to the digital board displaying the current temperature.

Tracy Housley, a native of Manchester, England, said she decided to drive from her hotel in Las Vegas to Death Valley after hearing on the radio that temperatures could approach record levels.

“We just decided to go there for new experiences,” Housley admitted on June 7.

Natasha Ivory took four of her eight children to a water park in Mount Charleston, near Las Vegas, where a record temperature of 48,8C was recorded on Sunday.

“They are having fun,” the mother of many children commented to Fox5 Vegas. - I'm going to take a dip too. It's too hot not to."

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However, the heat is no joke.

"Drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors with air conditioning, avoid the sun and check on your family and neighbors," the weather service said in a warning for the Baltimore area. “Small children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”

Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the heat is increasing. In Arizona's Maricopa County, which covers Phoenix, at least 13 heat-related deaths have been confirmed this year. The cause of another 160 deaths is being clarified, but, according to preliminary data, high air temperatures are still to blame. So, last week a 10-year-old boy died in Phoenix. The death occurred during a family hike in the South Mountain Nature Reserve.

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