‘Severe’ and ‘potentially record-breaking’ heatwave sends temperatures soaring across US
More than 150 million people were under heat alerts on Thursday morning, as a brutal and potentially historic heatwave sent temperatures soaring across the US on Independence Day with little chance of relief over the next week, even after dark.Forecasters warned that high overnight temperatures and the long-lasting duration of the extreme event will increase the danger, posing additional risks to human health and the rapid spread of wildfires.
All-time heat records could be broken in several locations, including Las Vegas and in Redding, California. “Dozens of record highs are possible, expressing the rarity of this early-July heatwave,” NWS forecasters wrote, adding that the heat will be dangerous for everyone who is exposed to it. The agency cautioned anyone in impacted areas to stay inside, stay hydrated, and to check on vulnerable neighbors.
“It is very likely that we will see a number of heat-related fatalities throughout this event,” forecasters with the NWS Bay Area wrote in an update on Wednesday afternoon, noting that unhoused people and those who can’t access or afford cooling “may not be able to escape the lethal heat”. The extreme heatwave is also dangerously-timed, raising the risk of wildfires during Fourth of July celebrations when they are more likely to spark because of fireworks, barbecues and other flammables.Firefighters across California are already battling multiple blazes, including one that broke out on Tuesday and quickly swept across more than 3,000 acres. The Thompson fire is burning near the city of Oroville, about an hour outside Sacramento, California’s capital.
While this heatwave may be the worst to hit the US west so far this year, it likely will not be the last. The human-caused climate crisis is expected to cause extreme heat events that last longer, are larger, and are more intense and experts have said this week’s weather is part of a troubling trend. 2024 is already on track to become the hottest year on record..
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