PPHOENIX — The first heat wave of the season is bringing triple-digit temperatures earlier than normal to much of the U.S. Southwest, where forecasters warned residents Tuesday to prepare for “dangerously hot conditions,” with expected highs of up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) over the next few days in Las Vegas and Phoenix.
On Wednesday, most of an area stretching from southeastern California to central Arizona will see “easily warmer” weather. since last Septemberand record daily highs will be in danger across the region, the National Weather Service said.
Excessive heat alerts have been issued from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday for parts of southern Nevada and Arizona. Unusually warm weather is expected to reach parts of the Pacific Northwest by the end of the week.
“We are seeing high temperatures in the 90s and 100s, temperatures well above average for this time of year — some spots even 10 to 20 degrees above average,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. he said Tuesday.
Southeastern California, southern Nevada and much of Arizona will be hit hardest, he said.
“As we move through the week, some of these warmer temperatures will also spread northward, potentially reaching parts of the Pacific Northwest as well,” Chenard said.
“We have several days where these temperatures will persist, and that generally increases the impact. If there’s just one day, it doesn’t tend to have as much of an impact,” he said. “But when you start to have this heat for two, three or four days and even warm temperatures at night, you start to see the impact increase.”
Unusually hot weather has already affected some areas. The U.S. Border Patrol reported Monday that four migrants died last weekend from heat-related causes while trying to cross the border in southeastern New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas.
El Paso Border Patrol Sector Chief Anthony Good urged migrants not to attempt to cross the border in the extreme heat.
“The desert environment is extremely unforgiving, especially during the summer months,” Good said. “We ask anyone considering crossing illegally to understand the serious risks involved.”
Fire crews will be on high alert, especially in Arizona, where fire restrictions went into effect before Memorial Day in some areas and will be ordered by Thursday in most of the west and south-central parts of the state, fire crews said. authorities.
Meteorologists at the Southwest Coordination Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said the region’s weather typically doesn’t get this hot until mid- or late June.
“It seems like Mother Nature is ramping up the pressure on us a little earlier than normal,” Tiffany Davila, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said Monday night.
“We can’t retreat from a fire just because it’s 113 degrees outside. But we keep an eye on everyone on the field. Make sure they’re staying hydrated and taking more breaks than they normally would,” she told the Associated Press.
Highs on Monday reached 110 F (43.3 C) in California’s Death Valley National Park near the Nevada line, 103 F (39.4 C) in Phoenix and 105 F (40.5 C ) in Needles, California.
In Las Vegas, where the high reached 103 F (39.4 C) on Monday, temperatures will rise 10 to 15 degrees above normal during the second half of the week – reaching 111 (43.8 C) on Thursday -fair.
A high of 120 F (48.8 C) is forecast for Thursday at Furnace Creek in Death Valley.
The current forecast high of 113 F (45 C) for Phoenix on Thursday would break the daily record of 111 F (43.8 C) set in 2016.
Last summer, Phoenix saw a record 31 consecutive days of at least 110 degrees F (43.3 C), extending from the last day of June through the entire month of July. At least 400 of 645 heat-related problems deaths that occurred last year were during that one month period.
Phoenix, Maricopa County and Arizona state officials this year are striving to better protect people of increasingly higher temperatures. Those ones more in danger because of the heat These are people who live outdoors, especially homeless people in central city areas, who often do not have access to sufficient shade, air conditioning and cold water.
This year, governments are setting aside more money so that refrigeration stations can stay open longer and on weekends, including two that will keep their doors open overnight.
Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles said he is “committed to ensuring that people most vulnerable to heat exposure have access to essential, life-saving services, including hydration and cooling stations and daytime rest centers.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
