Las Vegas is currently experiencing a punishing heat wave, setting a record for seven consecutive days of temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The National Weather Service in Las Vegas confirmed that the city reached a high of 115 degrees on Friday, breaking the daily record for the seventh day in a row. This extreme heat wave has been particularly severe, with Las Vegas hitting its all-time hottest temperature on record of 120 degrees Fahrenheit on July 7th. This unprecedented heat also saw three consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 118 degrees Fahrenheit, a record never seen before in the city’s history dating back to 1937.
The current heat wave is just one facet of a historically hot summer across the United States. Around 100 US cities, spanning from Maine to California, have already experienced the hottest summers on record. Extreme heat is recognized as a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US, claiming hundreds of lives annually. In July alone, heat is suspected to have contributed to the deaths of at least 37 people, a number that is likely an underestimate. The majority of these deaths have occurred in the Western states, where cities continue to break all-time record high temperatures. Currently, nearly 104 million Americans are under heat alerts, with excessive heat warnings issued for swathes of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.
The National Weather Service has warned that this long-duration heat wave poses a serious and deadly threat if not taken seriously. Dozens of daily record high temperatures are predicted for much of the West through Sunday. The elderly, children, pregnant individuals, people with heart or blood pressure issues, outdoor workers, and those lacking access to reliable cooling are considered at a higher risk of succumbing to heat-related illnesses.
While the West endures this record-breaking heat wave, sizzling temperatures are expected to build across the Central Plains and Southeast. The intense heat in the West will begin to ease later this weekend, but the region typically experiences high temperatures in July, even without daily record highs. The scorching heat will then expand over portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley and Southeast on Sunday and Monday.
