US Southwest sizzles under heat dome in an ominous prelude to summer
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[June 07, 2024]
By Brendan O'Brien, Rich McKay
(Reuters) -A massive high-pressure system known as a heat dome that has
stalled over the U.S. Southwest was pushing temperatures in the region
well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) on Thursday,
leaving millions of Americans to swelter in the coming days.
Some 31 million people from Northern California, south through Arizona
and east into Texas, were under excessive heat warnings and heat
advisories issued by the National Weather Service through Saturday. The
same region suffered under weeks of extremely hot weather last summer.
One of the hottest spots is likely to be the Las Vegas strip, where the
high temperature is expected to reach 112 F (44 C), which would mark a
record for the Nevada city on June 6.
"It's going to be a hot one out there today!" the NWS in Las Vegas said
on X, urging people to drink fluids, wear loose fitting clothing and
stay indoors if possible.
In Death Valley, California - which features the lowest point in the
country and is believed to be one of the hottest places on Earth - the
temperature could reach 121 F by the afternoon, an ominous sign before
the official start of the summer.
Matthew Lamar, a park ranger at Death Valley National Park, keeps cool
by pouring cold bottles of water over his head.
"It feels good but doesn't last long. It evaporates quickly," he said,
noting that tourist traffic has slowed considerably as the temperature
rises.
In Phoenix, the high temperature was to reach 114 F, forcing officials
to open cooling centers at libraries and to close some popular hiking
trails during the day.
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A homeless person refresh himself from water from a pipe line as
temperatures are expected to soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3
degrees Celsius) during the summer's first heat wave, in Phoenix,
Arizona, U.S., June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"The hot temperatures continue and a few records may even be broken
over the next couple of days," the NWS in Phoenix said in a post on
social media platform X.
A heat dome, the cause of this week's conditions, is a ridge of
high-pressure air in the upper atmosphere that stalls and traps hot
air while keeping cooler air away even at night.
Phoenix was one of several cities in the region that experienced
their hottest summers on record in 2023. Arizona's capital city
endured the high temperatures exceeding 110 F for 55 straight days,
a record. Last summer, 645 people died in the Phoenix area due to
heat-related illnesses.
In response, city firefighters this summer will begin using ice
immersion to care for heat stroke victims. The technique calls for
rescue personnel to pack patients in ice on their way to quickly
lower their body temperature, fire officials said during a
demonstration for local media.
Forecasters say it was difficult to link the record-breaking heat
experienced by the U.S. Southwest in recent years to human-induced
climate change, but such extremes are becoming more frequent because
of global warming.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Rich McKay in
AtlantaEditing by Frank McGurty and Lisa Shumaker)
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