31 million people brace for record-breaking temperatures

More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that would bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records might be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.

The “heat risk” is assessed as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness thanks to both the long duration heat, and therefore the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said. 

While the warmth risk is slightly lower in places at higher elevations – classified as “high” or “moderate” – most of the population remains in danger for heat-related illnesses, especially persons “who are sensitive to heat and/or those without adequate cooling or hydration,” consistent with the NWS.

In California, inland areas are expected to reel from the heatwave. The state’s largest urban centers, including l. a. and San Francisco , are along the coast, in order that they will see benefits from ocean cooling, and not endure the acute highs.

This heatwave comes within the wake of record highs across Pacific north-west states and western Canada last week. The heat-related price in Oregon and Washington has risen to a total of nearly 200 people; as many as 500 persons are believed to have died in British Columbia .

On Friday, officials in Washington state announced emergency rules that provide farmworkers et al. who work outdoors more protection from weather . Under the new rules, when the temperature is at or above 100F (38C), employers must provide shade or differently for workers to chill down and ensure a paid cool-down respite of a minimum of 10 minutes every two hours.

“The heat experienced in our state this year has reached catastrophic levels,” the Washington governor, Jay Inslee, said. “The physical risk to individuals is critical , especially those whose occupations have them outdoors all day.”

Officials are urging residents to remain inside, seek air con , and drink water; some counties are opening cooling centers. The California Independent System Operator, which runs most of this state’s power system , has asked residents to conserve power within the evening on Friday to reduce stress on the electrical system, citing “extreme heat forecasted across much of California into early next week”.

The US west and south-west were also gripped by a heatwave in June, with a minimum of 48 million under a heat advisory. The damaging heat is additionally including extreme drought conditions, ramping up the already heightened risk of wildfires.

California’s wildfire season is already more extreme than in 2020. Officials say the length of the fireside season has increased by 75 days across the Sierras, with an uptick within the extent of forest fires statewide.

According to Weather.com, there are 4,599 wildfires that started in California since 1 January, igniting 115 sq miles. Within the same period of 2020, there have been 3,847 fires burning 48.6 sq miles.

On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that June 2021 was “the hottest” on record for the US. The Noaa says that “heatwaves from coast to coast helped push” June over the highest 

The average June temperature across the contiguous US hit 72.6F, 4.2F over average. Noaa says that Arizona, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Utah experienced their hottest June on record.