A wave of “extreme heat” hit tens of millions of Americans this weekend, with many temperature records expected in the Central and Northeast, while a major wildfire swept California.
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“Extreme heat will persist in the central United States and spread northeast this weekend, with many temperature records expected across the region today (Saturday) and Sunday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) announced.
“This heat will fuel severe weather in the northern Midwest today (Saturday) with a significant threat of damaging winds, large hail and some tornadoes,” the NWS continued in its bulletin.
The sweltering heat, showing the threat of global warming, was particularly felt in the capital, Washington, where temperatures have been able to flirt with the symbolic 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 38 degrees Celsius) mark. New York was not spared with temperatures around 35 degrees.
Temperature could also reach 43 degrees in parts of Utah (west), Arizona (south) and the Northeast, according to NWS.
In Boston, where Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a “heat-related state of emergency” that will see community places open to cool down and swimming pools open longer, it could get to 37 degrees on Sunday.
This heat increases the risk of fire. In the western United States, a large forest fire called “Oak Fire” broke out in Mariposa County near Yosemite National Park on Friday, whose giant sequoias were threatened by fire there ten days ago.
Spread over an area of more than 2500 hectares, “Oak Fire” has already destroyed ten properties and damaged five others. It’s not under control at all, according to a Saturday morning bulletin from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The American west has already experienced wildfires of exceptional magnitude and intensity in recent years, with a very significant lengthening of the fire season.
The planet has already experienced several heat waves this year, such as in July in Western Europe or in India in March-April. According to scientists, their proliferation is an unmistakable sign of climate change.
In June 2021, an extremely rare “heat dome” devastated the West Coast of the United States and Canada, killing more than 500 people and causing large fires with temperatures approaching 50 degrees.