Temperature records in US due to ‘dangerous heat’

A heat wave is raging in the American Southwest. Several heat records have been broken in cities near Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Ukiah, north of San Francisco, recorded a high of 47 degrees Celsius. It’s even hotter in Death Valley, California, one of the hottest places on Earth. A temperature of 56.7 degrees was measured there in 1913. Although some doubt the accuracy of the measurement, it still stands as a world record. Today is expected to be around 54 degrees in Death Valley.

“The heat is a concern,” the Phoenix Weather Service said, with temperatures reaching 105.5 degrees this week. Many people had to go to the hospital because of the heat. On Tuesday, a 10-year-old boy died of a “heat-related incident” while out on a walk, local police said.

Several large wildfires have erupted in California, fueled by heat and wind. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated due to the fire.

Meteorologists expect the temperature to rise further. Temperatures may rise to 47 or 48 degrees after the weekend. Especially in the western part of the United States, intense heat has continued for almost a week and is spreading to the northwest.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of “dangerous heat.” The warning applies to more than 130 million Americans. This is 40 percent of the 335 million people.

Due to the high humidity in the area, residents are finding it difficult to cool down. The weather service expects some cooler nights. The NWS advises people to drink plenty of water, stay out of the sun and seek cool places.