Amidst the most extreme heat wave in history, Las Vegas sets a record for the number of days with temperatures exceeding 46 degrees Celsius.

2024-07-11 2024-07-11T10:25:56Z

Arab Weather - Las Vegas set a new record on Wednesday, as temperatures exceeded 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) for the fifth day in a row, amid an ongoing heat wave that will continue to sweep most parts of the United States.

Temperatures reached 115 F (46 C) shortly after 1 p.m. at Harry Reid International Airport, breaking the previous record of four consecutive days above 115 F, set in July 2005.

The most extreme heat wave in history

This achievement represents another record for the Nevada desert city this week; On Sunday, Las Vegas reached the highest temperature ever recorded, which was 120 F (48.8 C) . Even by the standards of desert regions, the heat wave the city is experiencing is almost unprecedented.

“This is the most extreme heat wave in the history of record-keeping in Las Vegas since 1937,” said meteorologist John Adair, who worked for three decades at the National Weather Service office in southern Nevada.

Health officials stressed that an extended heat wave comes with serious risks. Alexis Brignola, an epidemiologist with the Southern Nevada Health District, said:

“Even middle-aged people who appear to be healthy can suffer from heat illness when it is too hot for the body to cool down.”

An intense heat wave is sweeping most of the western United States

On the other hand, a severe heat wave has swept most parts of the western United States in recent days, with several places recording record temperatures and deaths. In Oregon, Portland saw record daily temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Salem set a new record with a temperature of 103 F on Sunday. The state Medical Examiner's Office said on Tuesday that it was suspected that high temperatures caused the deaths of at least eight people in the state. In California, high temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley National Park, which is considered one of the most harsh environments in the world. The highest temperature officially recorded on Earth was 134 F in July 1913 in Death Valley, although some experts question this measurement and say the real record was 130 F, recorded there in July 2021.

Good afternoon everyone,

The National Weather Service in Las Vegas conducted a crayon experiment amid record-breaking 120°F temperatures recorded on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada and this was the result below.
(ps it got so hot the crayons melted) pic.twitter.com/WugZ5FC7rQ

— Kernow Weather Team (@KWTWeather) July 8, 2024

Motorcyclist dies in Death Valley

In California, high temperatures led to the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley National Park, known as one of the most extreme environments in the world. The highest temperature on Earth was recorded there in July 1913, at 134 F, although some experts are skeptical. At this measurement, they believe the real record is 130 F, which was recorded in July 2021.

Tourists flocked to take pictures in Death Valley

On Tuesday, tourists flocked to the park to take photos in front of a giant thermometer showing 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Phoenix, Arizona, recorded the hottest average temperature on record for the first eight days of July since records began in 1885, tying the daily record of 116 F set in 1958. Idaho also saw triple-digit temperatures.

New record in Reno, Nevada

In Reno, Nevada, a new record was set Tuesday with a temperature of 104 F, and the city was experiencing its longest ever stretch of temperatures of 105 F or higher. Before this week, temperatures in the city had not exceeded this limit for more than two consecutive days since records began in 1888.

In today's episode of "Baking with NWS Las Vegas":

- Oven has been preheated and cookies were inserted just after noon PDT.
- Temperature on top of the dash was 217°F based on IR gun.
- Baking vehicle is black/gray with black interior and no window tint. #nvwx #vegasweather pic.twitter.com/qR4oDVV3J4

— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) July 7, 2024

Heat warnings on the East Coast

On the eastern side of the country, the East Coast was also facing extreme heat, as an extreme heat warning remained in place for the Philadelphia area, northern Delaware and nearly all of New Jersey on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching around 90 F (32 C) in most of the region.

World record temperatures

The European climate service Copernicus reported that the US heat wave comes as global temperatures in June set a record for the 13th straight month, and was the 12th straight month in which the world was 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer compared to In the pre-industrial period. Scientists attribute most of this heat to the human-caused climate crisis, the result of greenhouse gases emitted from burning coal, oil and natural gas.

Increased risk of forest fires

Extreme heat is increasing the risk of wildfires across the western United States, as prolonged drought has dried out vegetation that fuels fires.
In Oregon, a new blaze, dubbed the Larch Creek Fire, expanded to more than 5 square miles (12 square kilometers) Tuesday evening, as flames swept through grasslands in Wasco County. Evacuation orders were issued for remote homes about 15 miles (24 km) south of the Dallas River.
In California, firefighters were battling at least 18 wildfires on Tuesday, including a 42-square-mile blaze that prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains of Santa Barbara County. That blaze, called the "Lake Fire," was not contained. Only 16%, and meteorologists warned of a “dangerous combination” of high temperature, low humidity, and northwesterly winds that blow late in the day.
In northeast Los Angeles, the two-square-mile Vista Fire swept through trees in the San Bernardino National Forest and sent a huge plume of smoke that could be seen throughout the area.

Heat warnings extended

The National Weather Service extended excessive heat warnings for much of the southwestern U.S. through Saturday morning and the service in Reno said: