DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A heat wave hit large parts of the United States on Monday, with a daily record High temperature The death of a motorcyclist in Oregon is followed by four suspected deaths in the Portland area Dangerously hot Weekend in Death Valley, California.
more than 146 million people Heat warnings were in place across the US on Monday, particularly in western states. California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho were under heat warnings on Monday, the National Weather Service’s highest warning, and the East Coast and parts of Alabama and Mississippi were under heat advisories.
Global temperatures were the hottest in June For the 13th consecutive month It marked the 12th straight month the world was 1.5 C (2.7 F) warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said.
Dozens of places in the West and Pacific Northwest tied or broke previous heat records over the weekend and are expected to do so later in the week.
In Multnomah County, Oregon, home to Portland, the medical examiner is investigating four suspected heat-related deaths recorded Friday, Saturday and Sunday, officials said. The three deaths were ages 64, 75 and 84, county officials said in an email. Heat is also suspected in the death of a 33-year-old man who was taken to a Portland hospital.
Portland broke daily record temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is on track to do so again on Monday with a forecast of 102 F (38.9 C), National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said. More hot weather is expected through Tuesday evening.
“We are looking at the possibility of breaking more records,” he said.
Temperatures are not expected to rise as much as they once did A heat wave in the Pacific Northwest in 2021, which killed 600 people in Oregon, Washington and across western Canada. But the duration can be problematic as many area homes do not have air conditioning. Round-the-clock hot weather prevents people from cooling down adequately at night, and it’s worse in urban areas where concrete and pavement store heat.
Heat illness and injury are cumulative And officials warn it could be built in a day or days. In San Jose, California, a homeless man died of heat-related causes last week, Mayor Matt Mahan said on social media site X.
Thor Teigen poses in a fur jacket next to a thermometer showing a temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit / 55 degrees Celsius at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center in Death Valley National Park, California, on Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Dye One)
In North Las Vegas, Alejandro Meza drove home from work early Monday feeling like he was “pulling around on a chain” while painting the exterior of a church in triple-digit heat. Touching a metal ladder without gloves is like touching a clothes iron, he said. His heart rate increased and he became cold – a sign of heat illness.
“Any time it gets really hot, I’m really cold,” Meza said.
A high temperature of 128 F (53.3 C) was recorded Saturday and Sunday in Death Valley National Park, a visiting motorcyclist in eastern California’s sizzling desert. He died on Saturday from heat exposure. Another person has been hospitalized, officials said.
Higher highs are expected, including around 127 F (52.7 C ) in Death Valley on Monday and 130 F (54.4 C ) by midweek.
The largest national park outside of Alaska, Death Valley is considered one of the most extreme environments in the world and is extremely hot in the summer. The hottest temperature officially recorded on Earth was 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 at Death Valley, although some experts dispute that measurement and say the actual record was 130 F (54.4 C), set in July 2021.
Across the desert in Nevada, Las Vegas hit a record high of 120 F (48.8 C) on Sunday. predicted A record high of 115 F (46.1 C) was reached on Monday. The National Weather Service predicts a high of 117 F (47.2 C) in Phoenix.
Extreme heat and prolonged drought in the West have also dried up vegetation that fuels wildfires
In California, a wildfire in the mountains of Santa Barbara County grew to nearly 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) on Monday. More than 1,000 firefighters were in the path of the lake fire, and areas under evacuation orders included the former Neverland ranch owned by the late pop star Michael Jackson.
Rare heat advisories also extended to higher elevations around Lake Tahoe. The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, warned of “major heat hazard impacts, even in the mountains.”
“There are only so many ways it can be said to be warm,” the weather service said in its updated forecast Monday afternoon. “Our long-term heat wave continues with a high probability of more record-breaking temperatures.”
Reno could reach 105 F (40.5 C) for the third day in a row late Monday, a first in more than 100 years of records. The Meteorological Department also said there is a good chance of the streak continuing till Thursday.
At beaches around Lake Tahoe, especially Sand Harbor State Park, Sunday’s high of 92 (33.3 C) broke the old record of 88 (31.1 C) set in 2014. For the fifth consecutive day, the Sand Port closed its doors within 90 minutes of opening at 8 am as it reached its capacity.
“It’s definitely warmer than what we’re used to,” Nevada State Parks spokesman Tyler Gerver said.
In nearby Sparks, Nevada, safety Bill Derushe complained about the heat as he picked up a sandwich at a sports restaurant on Monday.
“Oh, God, it’s torture out there,” said DeRushe, who had to leave his air-conditioned guard shack and open gates for incoming trucks at a commercial loading dock east of Reno. It is so hot, he said, that snakes, rats and lizards seek shade under his hut.
Taking pity on the lizards, he filled a small bottle cap with water.
“I watch them do little pushups as they drink it,” he said.
___
Rush was reported from Portland, Oregon and snow was reported from Phoenix. AP journalists Christopher Weber and John Antsak in Los Angeles; Johnny Harr in San Francisco; and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada contributed to this report.
