AAbout 134 million people in the U.S. are under warning as an “extremely dangerous and record-setting” heat wave ravages much of the country, according to the National Weather Service.
Regions that could see temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or much higher, reaching into the triple digits (well above 37 degrees Celsius), include nearly all of the West Coast, the southern Plains, most of the lower Mississippi valley to the Ohio valley. and parts of Florida, said Bob Oravec, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
The Pacific Northwest will see the mercury rise later in the weekend. Arizona will continue to sizzle as firefighters battle a wildfire near Phoenix, where some face burns from asphalt, concrete or other scorching surfaces. And wetter regions will have a muggy weekend.
“If it’s humid and hot, you can’t really rely on sweat to cool it to a safe level,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
It’s a dangerous weather pattern playing out as fires burn across Northern California, just in time for a holiday weekend. When people are celebrating, “it’s very easy to get distracted,” staying outside longer and forgetting to stay hydrated, said Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “And then all of a sudden you’re putting yourself more at risk.”
Human-caused climate change is making heat waves longer and more intense. More research will be needed to link an individual event like this directly to climate change, but given the overall trajectory, Swain wasn’t surprised by this weekend’s forecast. Still, “the pace of record heat and precipitation extremes is becoming a little overwhelming,” he said.
The expected duration, amplitude and high overnight temperatures of this heat wave exacerbate the risks to people’s health. “I think this heat wave could end up being more consequential, more dangerous and, in many cases, more record-breaking than the heat waves that produce these slightly higher temperatures,” Swain said.
Stachelski added that even after the highest temperatures have passed, the heat can still be dangerous, especially for the most vulnerable – the young, the elderly and those who don’t have access to air conditioning.
Experts recommend that people drink plenty of water and seek air conditioning. Big Sur State Parks used lyrics by Sabrina Carpenter to encourage hikers to “please, please, please” avoid caffeine and alcohol, use sun protection, and know the trails in advance.
The prolonged high temperatures hitting the West Coast will also dry out vegetation and set the stage to make the remaining months of the fire season more severe, Swain said.
“Heat is an underestimated killer,” Swain said, referring both to short-term heat waves like this and broader global warming trends. “It’s something we’ve underestimated for a long time. And I think we continue to do so at our own risk.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
