A long-running heat wave that has already broken previous records across the United States persisted Sunday, scorching parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that killed a motorcyclist in Death Valley and kept the East in its hot, humid grip.
An excessive heat warning — the National Weather Service’s highest alert — was in effect for about 36 million people, or about 10 percent of the population, said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Dozens of locations across the nation’s West and Northwest broke previous heat records.
Many areas in Northern California topped 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius), with the city of Redding setting a record of 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48.3 degrees Celsius). Phoenix set a new daily record Sunday for the warmest low temperature: It never dipped below 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33.3 degrees Celsius).
A high of 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) was recorded Saturday and Sunday at Death Valley National Park in eastern California, where one visitor died Saturday from heat exposure and another person was hospitalized, officials said.
The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists who were riding through the Badwater Basin area in scorching weather, the park said in a statement.
The person who died was not identified. The other motorcyclist was transported to a Las Vegas hospital for “severe heat illness,” the statement said. Emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond because of the high temperatures, as such aircraft generally cannot safely fly in temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 degrees Celsius), officials said.
The other four members of the group were treated on site.
“While this is an exciting time to experience record-breaking temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their activities carefully and avoid spending extended periods outside of an air-conditioned vehicle or building when temperatures are this high,” said Mike Reynolds, park director.
Authorities warned that heat illnesses and injuries are cumulative and can develop over a day or days.
“In addition to not being able to cool down while riding due to the elevated ambient air temperatures, experiencing Death Valley on a motorcycle in this heat is made even more difficult by the heavy safety equipment required to reduce injury during an accident,” the park said in the release.
The soaring temperatures didn’t deter Death Valley visitor Chris Kinsel, who said it was “like Christmas Day for me” to be there on a day when records were broken. Kinsel said he and his wife usually come to the park during the winter when it’s still very warm, but that’s nothing compared to being in one of the warmest places on Earth in July.
“Death Valley in the summer has always been something I’ve wanted to do. For most of my life, I’ve wanted to come here in the summer,” said Kinsel, who was visiting the Badwater Basin area from Las Vegas.
Kinsel said he planned to go to the park’s visitor center to have his photo taken next to the digital sign that displays the current temperature.
Across the desert in Nevada, Natasha Ivory took four of her eight children to a water park in Mount Charleston, outside Las Vegas, which on Sunday recorded a record high temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 degrees Celsius).
“They’re having a fantastic time,” Ivory told Fox5 Vegas. “I’m going to get wet too. It’s too hot not to.”
Jill Workman Anderson was also at Mount Charleston, taking her dog for a little walk and enjoying the view.
“We can look out and see the desert,” he said. “It was also 30 degrees cooler than northwest Las Vegas, where we live.”
Temperatures above 100 F (37.8 C) were common in Oregon, where several records were broken, including in Salem, where a high of 103 F (39.4 C) was recorded Sunday, surpassing the mark of 99 F (37.2 C) set in 1960. On the wetter East Coast, temperatures above 37.8 C were widespread, although no excessive heat warnings had been issued Sunday.
Heat records are broken in the Southwest
Unusual heat warnings issued even at elevated levels, including around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. The NWS office in Reno, Nevada, warned of “significant heat hazard impacts, including in the mountains.”
The service said in an online post that highs in western Nevada and northeastern California were not expected to dip below 100 F (37.8 C) until next weekend, “and unfortunately, there won’t be much relief overnight either.”
More extreme highs were expected in the coming days, including possibly 130 F (54.4 C) by midweek at Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley. The highest temperature ever officially documented on Earth was 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 in Death Valley, though some experts dispute that figure and say the actual record is 130 F (54.4 C), recorded there in July 2021.
Deaths begin to rise
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, there have been at least 13 confirmed heat-related deaths this year, along with more than 160 deaths suspected to be heat-related and still under investigation, according to a recent report.
That doesn’t include the death of a 10-year-old boy in Phoenix last week who suffered a “heat-related medical episode” while hiking in the mountains with his family at South Mountain Park and Preserve, according to police.
California fires fueled by heat and low humidity
Firefighters have sent planes and helicopters to drop water or retardant on several fires in California.
In Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, the Lake Fire burned more than 25 square miles (66.5 square kilometers) of grass, brush and trees after breaking out Friday. It had not been contained by Sunday.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Add Comment