DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A heatwave swept across much of the U.S. on Monday, bringing daytime heat to record highs. high temperature Oregon suspected of causing four deaths following fatal motorcyclist crash in Portland area Dangerously hot A weekend in Death Valley, California.
is more than 146 million Extreme heat warnings were in effect across the U.S. on Monday, particularly in Western states. Extreme heat warnings, the National Weather Service’s highest warning, were in effect Monday in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, while extreme heat watches were in effect for parts of the East Coast, Alabama and Mississippi.
Global temperatures hit record high in June 13 consecutive months It marks the 12th consecutive month that the global average temperature has been 1.5C (2.7F) higher than pre-industrial levels, according to the European meteorological agency Copernicus.
Dozens of locations across the West and Pacific Northwest tied or broke previous heat records over the weekend, a trend that’s expected to continue this week.
In Multnomah County, Oregon, where Portland is located, officials said the coroner is investigating four suspected heatstroke deaths that were recorded Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Three of the deaths were in men, ages 64, 75 and 84, county officials said in an email. Heatstroke was also suspected in the death of a 33-year-old man who was taken to a Portland hospital.
Portland broke daytime high temperature records Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is on track to break the record again Monday with a forecast high of 102 degrees (38.9 C), said National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler Cooley. Hotter weather is expected to continue through Tuesday night.
“We are exploring the possibility of breaking further records,” she said.
The temperature is Pacific Northwest heat waves of 2021The 2019 typhoon killed an estimated 600 people in Oregon, Washington and western Canada. But its duration could be an issue, as many homes in the region lack air conditioning. Hot weather throughout the day means people can’t adequately cool down at night, and the situation is worse in cities where concrete and pavement trap heat.
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are cumulative Officials have warned that the heat could build up over a day or days. In San Jose, California, a homeless man died last week from an apparent heat-related cause, Mayor Matt Mahan said on the social platform X.
Thor Teigen poses in a fur jacket next to a thermometer reading 131 degrees Fahrenheit/55 degrees Celsius at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park, California, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neill)
In North Las Vegas, Alejandro Mesa went home early on Monday after feeling like he was “being dragged by chains” while painting the exterior of a church in triple-digit temperatures. Touching a metal ladder without gloves felt like touching an iron, he said. His heart rate increased and he got chills, signs of heatstroke.
“When it gets really hot outside, it gets really cold,” Mesa said.
In the scorching desert of eastern California, Death Valley National Park recorded a high of 128°F (53.3°C) on Saturday and Sunday, drawing motorcyclists to the area. Died on Saturday Officials said one person died from heatstroke and another was hospitalized.
More extreme heat is expected, with highs around 127 degrees Fahrenheit (52.7 degrees Celsius) in Death Valley on Monday and possibly reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius) by mid-week.
The largest national park outside of Alaska, Death Valley is considered one of the world’s harshest environments and is one of the hottest places in the summer. The highest officially recorded temperature on Earth was 134°F (56.67°C), recorded in Death Valley in July 1913, although some experts dispute that measurement and claim the actual record is 130°F (54.4°C), recorded in July 2021.
Across the Nevada desert, Las Vegas recorded a record high temperature of 120 degrees (48.8 C) on Sunday. Predicted A record high temperature of 115 degrees (46.1 Celsius) is expected on Monday. The National Weather Service predicts a high of 117 degrees (47.2 Celsius) in Phoenix.
Extreme heat and prolonged drought in the West have also dried out the vegetation that fuels wildfires.
In California, a wildfire in the mountains of Santa Barbara County grew to about 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) on Monday. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the Lake Fire, and evacuation orders were issued for areas including the Neverland Ranch, once owned by the late pop star Michael Jackson.
A rare heat watch was extended to include higher elevations, including the Lake Tahoe area, and the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, warned that “significant danger from extreme heat exists in mountainous areas.”
“There are only a few ways to say it’s hot outside,” the Met Office said in its updated forecast on Monday afternoon. “We are likely to see an extended heatwave, with further record-breaking temperatures.”
Reno is expected to hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius) for a third straight day later Monday, the first time such a record has been recorded in more than 100 years, and the weather service said the record is likely to continue through Thursday.
People flocked to beaches around Lake Tahoe on Monday, especially Sand Harbor State Park, where a high temperature of 92 degrees (33.3 Celsius) recorded Sunday broke the previous record of 88 degrees (31.1 Celsius) set in 2014. For the fifth straight day, Sand Harbor closed its gates within 90 minutes of opening at 8 a.m. because it reached capacity.
“It’s definitely hotter than we’re used to,” said Tyler Carver, a spokesman for Nevada State Parks.
Near Sparks, Nevada, security guard Bill DeRouche complained about the heat while buying a sandwich at a sports bar on Monday.
“Oh my god, it’s torture out there,” said DeRuche, who has to leave his air-conditioned guard hut to open the gate for trucks arriving at a commercial loading dock in east Reno. It’s so hot, he said, that rattlesnakes, rats and lizards have taken refuge under the hut.
He felt sorry for the lizards and filled the lids of small jars with water.
“I watch them drink it and do little push-ups,” he said.
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Rush reported from Portland, Oregon, and Snow reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Christopher Weber and John Antczak, Janie Herr in Los Angeles and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed to this report.
