Las Vegas has reached its all-time temperature record amid an ongoing widespread heat wave along the US West Coast.
the city in Snowfall It recorded 49 °C (120 °F) for the first time on Sunday, a day after the temperature there reached 46 °C (115 °F), tying a record set in 2007.
Temperatures are reaching up to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year in some places, according to National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Bryan Jackson.
“We have a really expansive and extreme heat wave underway, and it’s expected to continue this week,” he said.
About 36 million people are under excessive heat warnings, while about one million face excessive heat alerts, including in eastern Oregon, northeastern Nevada and southwestern Idaho.
The NWS also warns of an increased risk of wildfires due to a combination of hot, dry and windy conditions.
Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said more records were likely to be broken.
“It’s all due to an upper-level ridge located over the western US, which will maintain a locked pattern, and the descending air will help increase surface pressure and temperature,” he said.
“That will allow the current extreme heat in the area to continue this week, with new records likely to be broken.
“The heat wave will allow temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius and possibly 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of inland California.
“Starting midweek, heat is expected to move from California and Oregon, north into Washington state, and east over the Great Basin and Arizona.
“The highest temperature recorded on Earth is 134°F (56.7°C), which was observed in Death Valley, not far from Las Vegas, back in 1913, but some question its accuracy.”
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Temperatures peaked at 128°F (53.3°C) on Saturday and Sunday in Death Valley National Park in eastern California, where a motorcyclist died from heat exposure and another person was taken to the hospital for “illness.” due to heat,” authorities said.
They were part of a group of six motorcyclists who were riding in the Badwater Basin area. The other members of the group were treated at the scene.
“We encourage visitors to choose their activities carefully, avoiding prolonged periods of time outside of an air-conditioned vehicle or building when temperatures are this high,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds.
All of the last 12 months have been above the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees of global warmingaccording to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Analysis by the EU climate monitoring service found that global average temperatures from June 2023 to May 2024 were 1.63 degrees above the “pre-industrial” baseline of 1850-1900.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for urgent measures to avoid “climate hell.”
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