CNN
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An extremely dangerous and unusually long heat wave is intensifying and spreading across the West Coast, with no signs of abating for several days.
California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona have opened cooling centers in preparation for possible wildfires and are warning residents to stay indoors and stay hydrated as a relentless heat wave pushes temperatures above 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, possibly reaching 120 degrees in parts of the desert Southwest.
And the heat is only increasing.
Death Valley, California, could break its all-time record for the hottest day of the year by surpassing 125 degrees Fahrenheit by Sunday or Monday, and Las Vegas, Nevada, could also surpass its all-time high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday or Monday.
“There is increasing confidence that this historic heatwave will continue for several days,” the National Weather Service in Portland warned, adding that the risk of heatstroke will increase significantly.
According to the National Weather Service, extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States, killing hundreds of people every year.
In San Jose, California, a homeless man died Tuesday as a result of the heat, Mayor Matt Mahan said. The man was 69 years old, mayoral spokeswoman Tasha Dean said, citing the Santa Clara coroner’s office.
The same day, a 10-year-old boy in Arizona died of heat stroke while hiking with his family in South Mountain Park Preserve, according to Phoenix police.
“This is a dangerous condition, especially for sensitive populations,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said, urging residents to drink plenty of water, stay in the shade, wear light, loose-fitting clothing and not leave anyone in their cars.
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Saturday is shaping up to be the hottest day of this lingering heat wave, with temperatures in the 110s becoming the norm across California, except along the coast and in the highlands, according to the National Weather Service.
“These heat levels continue to persist in parts of California’s Mojave Desert and Sacramento/San Joaquin Valleys and could be dangerous for anyone without proper heat protection measures,” the weather service said.
About 140 million people across the country remain under extreme heat warnings, mostly in western states where the heatwave is expected to continue until the middle of next week.
Parts of Oregon will see temperatures reach triple digits on Friday with no overnight drop, and the heat could last for up to five days, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.
A state of emergency was declared in Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous, as temperatures were expected to rise this weekend.
“We are especially concerned about the thousands of people heading to music festivals and sporting events this weekend,” Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Richard Bruno said in a news release. “They will be spending long periods outdoors with little shade or water sources and may not be aware of the risks.”
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Bruno said the area has had very few hot days so far this year and residents’ bodies are still getting used to the heat.
Dozens of people died in Oregon’s heat wave in 2021, as temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit, causing heat-induced power failures and leading to rolling blackouts for tens of thousands of people.
Noah Alvis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland, said the latest heat wave is not expected to be as intense as the heatwaves of 2021, but forecasters are concerned about its prolonged duration. “To have temperatures in the upper 90s Fahrenheit, or even above 100 to 105 Fahrenheit, for four to five days is very unusual for this area,” Alvis told CNN.
“Triple-digit heat will extend north into parts of the Pacific Northwest and central Great Basin, with widespread highs rising into the 90s to low 100s,” the National Weather Service said. “The duration of this heat is also of concern, as scorching, above-average temperatures are expected to continue into next week.”
More than a dozen temperature records were broken or tied Thursday, including in several California cities, where temperatures reached 110 degrees in Palmdale and 109 degrees in Madera.
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The combination of extreme heat, gusty winds and low humidity means any wildfires that do break out can spread quickly through already dry vegetation.
Red flag warnings have been issued across the West, including in areas of the Thompson Fire in Butte County, California, which has burned more than 3,700 acres since it was reported on Tuesday. The blaze, which was 46% contained by mid-morning local time Friday, has forced thousands of people to evacuate and has more than 2,000 firefighters battling the blaze in the Oroville area in scorching heat.
Eleven firefighters have been injured, eight of them from heat stroke, according to Cal Fire spokesman Chris Peterson. The blaze has destroyed 26 buildings and puts more than 4,000 at risk.
Fire season is ongoing in the state, with more than 145,000 acres burned so far in 2024, compared with 7,812 acres burned during the same period last year, according to Cal Fire.
According to Cal Fire, there are currently nearly 20 wildfires of various sizes burning across the state, with the Thompson Fire being the largest of them all.
“We have fires burning from the coast of San Diego to the foothills of Butte,” Cal Fire Deputy Chief Nick Schuler told CNN on Wednesday. “Firefighters are battling fires all across California, often on the ground for more than 24 hours. These are difficult conditions they face.”
Evacuation orders were issued Thursday night in Mariposa County, California, due to a wildfire known as the French Fire. The blaze has burned more than 800 acres northwest of the small town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park and was 5% contained as of Friday morning.
The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday night that shelter-in-place orders have been issued for two hotels near Yosemite National Park due to wildfires.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in areas affected by the Thompson Fire on Wednesday, paving the way for additional resources to be deployed, including the potential mobilization of the California National Guard to help.
Also in central Washington, a wildfire called the Balsamroot Fire broke out early Friday morning due to fireworks, Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett said.
The fire is in Wenatchee, about 150 miles east of Seattle. It has now grown to about 250 acres and is 30% contained, Brett told CNN. About 150 homes are under a Level 3 evacuation warning. Residents affected by this warning are being told to evacuate immediately.
The department previously reminded residents that “personal fireworks are prohibited in most areas of Chelan and Douglas counties.”
An estimated 31,302 fires were caused by fireworks in 2022, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
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A Cal Fire tactical aircraft releases smoke while guiding the drop of fire suppression agents during the Thompson Wildfire in Oroville, California, on Wednesday.
As the West swelters, the unbearable heat and humidity will begin to move eastward into the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast over the weekend.
“Overnight temperatures will be warm, in the upper 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit, which will lead to dangerous conditions for those without adequate cooling facilities,” the National Weather Service said.
New heat warnings have been issued for parts of southeast Texas, far southern Florida, the northern Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic coast, with highs expected to range from 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Cities like Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh and Washington, D.C. will feel the heat.
In these areas, the heat index (how the air feels to the human body) ranges from 100 degrees to 115 degrees.
“A cold front moving into the Southern Plains is expected to bring below-normal temperatures through Friday across Oklahoma, much of north and west Texas and the Mid-South,” the weather service said in a statement.
