More than 80 million people woke up Sunday to official warnings or forecasts of excessive heat waves in the western, southern, and southeastern states of the United States, where unforgiving temperatures and in some record cases they are ravaging large areas of the country.
He National Metereological Service The NWS warned Sunday of “a widespread sweltering heat wave” across much of the west to the southeast, with sweltering temperatures that will continue until next week and increase the health risks of millions of inhabitants.
“Widespread record high temperatures, as well as record warm daily lows, are expected in parts of the Southwest, along the western Gulf Coast, and in southern Florida“said the NWS in a report released on the day.
Suffering for 80 million
In the city of Houston, in the southern state of Texasresidents have been asked to save electricity between 14:00 and 22:00 from Saturday to Monday, in an attempt to mitigate high demand due to heat.
On their side, the inhabitants of the south of California (West), which saw thermometers reach highs of 41 °C to 43 °C on Saturday, face a second day of sweltering temperatures and the thermometer is expected to exceed 46 °C in some parts of that state as well as in those of Nevada and Arizona, according to the NWS.
On Saturday afternoon, the famous Death Valley of California – one of the hottest places on Earth – had reached a life-threatening temperature of around 51°C and was forecast to peak at 54°C on Sunday.
Also on Saturday, the town of Idyllwild, east of The Angels and at some 1,645 meters above sea level, it surpassed its previous record to reach 37.7 °C. On his side, in Imperial, east of San Diego (California), the daily record of 46.6 °C was equaled.
The NWS stressed that heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in USA and urged the population to take that risk seriously.
“In all, from South Florida and the Gulf Coast to the Southwest, more than 80 million people remain under an Excessive Heat Warning or a High Heat Advisory. heat wave as of this morning,” according to the NWS.
Authorities have extended their warnings for days, advising people to avoid outdoor activities during the day and to stay constantly hydrated to avoid fatalities in such temperatures.
In Arizona, the state capital, Phoenix, It has registered 16 consecutive days above 42.7 °C. On Saturday afternoon temperatures reached 47.7°C and stayed above 32°C overnight.
“The city has organized volunteer corps to direct residents to climate-controlled centers and to distribute water bottles and hats, but program director David Hondula told ABC that his three-day-a-week homework schedule “clearly… not enough.”
atypical heat
The heat waves are being recorded with greater frequency and intensity in the main cities of USA, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They had a frequency of six times per year during the 2010s and 2020s compared to two per year during the 1960s.
“This heat wave is NOT typical desert heat,” the Las Vegas office of the NWS highlighted on its Twitter account, specifying that “its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, and warm nights” were unusual.
Canada, the neighboring country, suffers with waves of high temperatures Combined with months of below-average rainfall, the amount of land burned by devastating wildfires so far in 2023 rose to an all-time high of 10 million hectares on Saturday.
“We find ourselves this year with figures worse than those of our most pessimistic scenarios,” Yan Boulanger, a researcher at Natural Resources Canada, told AFP.
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