“Extreme temperatures will significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for those who work or engage in outdoor activities,” the National Weather Service (NWS) warned in Hanford, California. “Low overnight can offer little relief.” The record heat will extend from Sacramento to Houston. In fact, more than 140 cities across the US could break daily records in the coming days, and even overnight low temperatures are expected to reach dangerous levels.
A taste of record temperatures came on Friday
High temperatures in the central and southern plains on Saturday will also rise in the 1990s and will be in the triple digits. However, the values of the heat index – the “feeling like temperatures” – could approach 113 degrees, especially in South Texas. A taste of the dangerous and potentially deadly heat came on Friday, when several major cities set new records. Yes, the desert is a hot spot, but Death Valley in eastern California set a new daily record of 123 points, breaking the previous high of 3 points in 1994. The Phoenix hit 113 degrees, overshadowing the previous record of 10 July 111 set in 1978. Austin reached 103 points – 1 point higher than the previous record high for the day in 2008.
At least 140 cities could set new daily highs
More than 220 million people, about 70% of the lower 48, will see temperatures of 90 or higher next week. More than 45 million of these people – or about 15% of the population of the lower 48 – will experience triple-digit temperatures by next week, mostly in Central California Valley, the Southwest Desert and the southern and central plains. This means that 140 cities could set new daily highs from Saturday to Wednesday. Relief from the uncomfortable hot and humid weather will begin in northern and central California on Sunday and Monday with the arrival of a pair of cold fronts. But the heat dome will shift to the central and eastern states, bringing high temperatures to the plains and midwest early next week. On Monday, most of the record temperatures will extend between Denver and Raleigh, North Carolina, but could spread as far north as Wisconsin and Michigan by the middle of the week. Chicago could surpass the 1990s on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And the low levels during the night – which usually allow the body to cool down enough – could be as relentless as the highs during the day. “Your body needs to cool down at night and it actually waits for it while you sleep,” says Jenn Varian, a meteorologist at the Las Vegas National Weather Service. “When we have very hot temperatures during the night, your body is simply not able to cool down properly, which in itself (and) can cause complications, but will also make you less prepared for the heat. of the day “. CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this story.
