WASHINGTON: A scorching heat engulfing the US Southwest has triggered dire heat advisories spanning the nation, impacting over 110 million individuals.
Up to 38 cities are poised to shatter temperature records in the coming days. In Las Vegas, an impending heatwave looms, threatening to eclipse or equal the city’s standing record of 117F (47.2C).
This alarming weather phenomenon coincides with soaring temperatures afflicting southern Europe, while Canada grapples with its most devastating wildfire season in history, according to the BBC.
Scientists have persistently cautioned that the perils of climate change, stemming from human activities, would foster intensified and frequent occurrences of extreme weather events.
Elsewhere in the southwestern United States, sweltering heat and scarce humidity have thrust hundreds of firefighters into an arduous battle against brush fires on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
On Sunday, Death Valley, California, experienced an astonishing 128F (53.9C), according to reports from the National Weather Service (NWS). This region remains etched in history as the site where the Earth’s most verifiably scorching temperature, a staggering 134F (56.7C), was recorded.
The typically bustling streets of Las Vegas now appear desolate, with a marked absence of crowds. Security personnel vigilantly patrol the fountains of luxurious casinos and hotels, deterring individuals from seeking relief by immersing themselves.
El Paso, situated in Texas, has endured relentless temperatures of 100.4F (38C) and above for an extended period, with no signs of respite on the horizon.
In Phoenix, Arizona, temperatures have soared above 109.4F (43C) for a staggering 17 consecutive days. Though Sunday offered a slight reprieve with thick cloud cover, daytime temperatures still soared to a scorching 114F (45.5C).
Regrettably, this oppressive heat is predicted to persist for the foreseeable future, prompting authorities to caution about the heightened risk of heat-related ailments among vulnerable populations, including children, expectant mothers, and the elderly.
In the scorching realm of Death Valley, amidst the unforgiving climate, Park Ranger Matthew Lamar voiced his astonishment, proclaiming, For well over a century, our thermometers hadn’t witnessed the blazing mark of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius). Yet in 2020, we reached that milestone, followed by its repetition in 2021, and now we stand on the precipice of attaining it once more this very weekend.
He further divulged that this remarkable weather phenomenon was drawing inquisitive tourists who sought to immerse themselves in the profound extremities.
Nevertheless, a fraction of visitors cautioned against disregarding the undeniable truth that these extremes serve as poignant indicators of the mounting influence of climate change.
