A ‘heat blanket’ will engulf the US today as scorching temperatures rise above triple digits – with the ‘dangerous’ heatwave hitting highs of 118F.
More than 265 million people will be at risk, with a third of the American population receiving excessive heat warnings.
Soaring temperatures across the country have prompted Boston to declare a “heat emergency,” while New York City officials are urging residents to stay indoors for their own safety.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a state of emergency and has set up dozens of refrigeration centers across the city to protect locals.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning through 8 p.m. this evening in Boston, during which the heat index is expected to rise above 100 degrees.
Jackie Bray, commissioner of New York’s Homeland Security and Emergency Services Department, has urged residents to stay indoors rather than risk the “dangerous” heat wave.
She urged the move so locals can “avoid dangerous conditions that can lead to heat stress and disease.”
New York will hit 97F while Death Valley in California will hit a scorching 118F and Las Vegas is estimated to climb to at least 113F today.
At least a third of the US population has received heat alerts and excessive heat warnings, and about 265 million people will experience temperatures above 90 degrees in the coming days.
A “heat blanket” that covers the land is largely due to a sustained high-pressure region that traps heat over an area.
Locals in New York flocked to Rockaway Beach yesterday to soak up the East Coast sunshine with temperatures set to climb to 97F today
Construction workers took a break in the shade from working on pipes in San Antonio, Texas, where temperatures are expected to reach triple digits
Families in Houston, Texas, quickly cooled off in swimming pools yesterday after the state received an excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service
Heat index values: what are the risks?
Caution: 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit
Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity
Extreme caution: 90 to 103 degrees
Heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity
Danger: 103 to 124 degrees
Heat cramps or heat exhaustion likely and heat stroke possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity
Extreme Danger: 125 degrees or higher
heat stroke very likely
Source: Weather.gov
New York City could also face its longest heatwave in nearly a decade, with seven straight days of temperatures exceeding 90F, which last happened in 2013.
The Big Apple’s energy company, Con Edison, is also advising residents to limit their energy use to avoid blackouts.
Yesterday, a horrified local resident posted footage of his UPS driver collapsing in the extreme Arizona heat.
Doorbell video shared by Scottsdale’s Brian Enriquez shows the man bending over to deliver the package before falling and sagging to the ground.
He lies there for a few moments before getting up, rings the doorbell, and then “staggers away” as temperatures hit 110F in Phoenix.
A UPS driver told ABC News their vans don’t have air conditioning due to frequent stops, adding that drivers “drop like flies” in the heat.
Maricopa County, where Scottsdale is located, reported 339 heat-related deaths in 2021, a record number of such deaths.
Of the hundreds of people who died as a result of the heat, at least 130 were homeless in the scorching temperatures.
Experts have said that if they had died any other way it would be seen as a “mass casualty event” with many on the streets forced to sleep in stuffy tents before being escorted by police.
Excessive heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined, with homeless people accounting for about half of the 1,500 heat-related deaths each year.
High temperatures across the country are largely due to a sustained high-pressure region that traps heat over an area known as the “heat dome.”
Temperatures across the United States will exceed triple digits across the country, with the southern states being hardest hit
Multiple wildfires have been burning in Texas, destroying homes and buildings in Palo Pinto County that pierced Monday
Children in Houston, Texas, quickly cooled off in jets of water, while other states built cooling stations to give residents access to water and shade
At least a third of the US population has received head bangs and excessive heat warnings, and approximately 265 million people will see temperatures exceeding 90F
Searing temperatures are expected to continue until at least Friday, with meteorologists warning that above-average highs will “dominate” the country
Workers put neon rims on their hard hats with neck braces to stay cool in the scorching San Antonio sun today
A wave of wildfires breaks out in North America as temperatures continue to rise
United States
California – Yosemite National Park
On July 8, a fire broke out in part of California’s Yosemite National Park, home to some of the world’s largest and oldest giant sequoia trees. Flames engulfed 3,772 acres on July 13, according to a report by InciWeb, a US multi-agency all-risk incident information management system.
As of July 11, none of Yosemite’s distinctive redwoods had been lost. Read more
Arizona
The so-called Pipeline Fire that broke out on April 17 in Coconino National Forest, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Lack Bill Park in north Flagstaff City, Arizona.
The fire burned more than 20,000 acres and prompted mandatory evacuation orders from more than 2,100 homes. Continue reading
New Mexico
The merger between the Hermits Peak Fire in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains of San Miguel County and the Calf Canyon Fire in eastern Santa Fe is New Mexico’s largest fire to date. Each fire started on April 6 and 19, respectively, and burned 341,735 acres as of July 15, according to a Santa Fe National Forest Services report. The flames are now 93% contained.
California – Big Sur
Dubbed the Colorado Fire, the rare winter fire burned 1,050 acres south of Monterey and north of the area known as Big Sur, California from January 21-24. It forced about 500 people under evacuation orders and closed a major highway. Continue reading
Canada
British Columbia
On July 14, a fire broke out near the village of Lytton, British Columbia. It is the province’s most significant wildfire so far this year, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Nearly 2,000 acres were burned the day after the fire broke out. Local authorities issued evacuation orders to 24 property owners near the fire, while residents of several First Nation reservations were urged to flee the area
Photo credit: R
Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis warned that the southern plains will be hardest hit by the sweltering heat, but the above-average temperature will “dominate” the country.
She expects temperatures to rise between five and 15 degrees, adding that there is “potential for record breakers” as many cities will hit more than 100F.
Excessive heat warnings are in effect until 10 p.m. this evening in the San Joaquin Valley, lower Sierra foothills and Kern River Valley.
The National Weather Service also issued the warning in parts of Texas, including Dallas and Fort Worth.
Northern Louisiana, East Texas, Memphis, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma are also affected by the excessive warning.
New Jersey, Delaware, parts of New York and Philadelphia have also been issued with a heat warning – while other parts of the country have been placed on fire weather watch.
Little Rock, Arkansas recorded temperatures of at least 100F for the tenth day of this year on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service warned that today will be “another brutal day” with rising temperatures.
Wildfires have erupted across the country leaving waves of devastation in their wake, with the largest blazing in Texas.
On Tuesday, the Chalk Mountain Fire blackened 6,000 acres and was only 10 percent contained after Monday afternoon’s eruption.
Crews using bulldozers were forced to dig safety lines while fire tricks and planes struggled to put out the blazes.
Five homes were also destroyed around Possum Kingdom Lake in north Texas, with the fire burning down at least five other buildings.
Texas prisoners are battling the brutal heat even without air conditioning, with the Texas Department of Justice warning that some jails have no work facilities.
Temperatures hit a scorching 110F yesterday, and a department spokeswoman added: “There are 100 units (Texas Department of Criminal Justice), 31 have full air conditioning, 55 have partial air conditioning and 14 have no air conditioning.
“We are taking numerous precautions to reduce the impact of hot temperatures on those detained in our facilities.
“In 2022, there were seven inmates who required medical care beyond first aid for heat-related injuries, none were fatal.”
Alaska has also seen more than 500 wildfires since early April, with more than 10 feet (3 m) of land burned through mid-July.
As of yesterday, at least 264 individual fires were still burning across the state, with one climate specialist calling it “unprecedented.”
Severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes are also possible in parts of Canada, according to Environment Canada.
They said in a statement that “destructive gusts of wind” will be the main threat, adding that a “significant tornado” could not be ruled out.