Record temperatures are hitting the US, with many people losing their lives to heatstroke.
The eastern and southern parts of the US are experiencing higher than normal temperatures, but the western part of the country is most affected by extreme heat.
Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded its highest temperature ever recorded, 48.9 degrees Celsius, on Sunday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) expects high temperatures to persist across the West throughout this week.
“Persistent record heat is extremely dangerous for those who do not have access to some form of air conditioning,” the NWS warned Tuesday via X.
Deaths have been recorded across the region due to the heat.
A motorcyclist died Saturday in Death Valley when the mercury in the area soared above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degrees Celsius) that day. One of his friends had to be hospitalized, according to officials at the national park, known as one of the hottest places on earth.
In Oregon, at least four people have died since Friday, possibly due to the heat, local media reported. Temperatures in the city of Salem reached 40 degrees Celsius on Monday, when weather conditions in the northwestern US state are usually milder.
In California, Arizona and Idaho, dozens of cities have seen record high temperatures in recent days.
“This is a record-breaking heat wave,” Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said during an online news conference over the weekend.
In California, some residents faced “not just the hottest day they have ever experienced, but the hottest day their parents and grandparents have ever experienced,” he added.
Fires are raging in California
High temperatures are also making it harder for firefighters to control many California wildfires.
In the Santa Barbara area, the Lake Fire has destroyed nearly 110,000 acres and prompted evacuations. The fire is now threatening Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
Recurring heatwaves are due to global warming linked to climate change caused by humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels, scientists say.
This heatwave comes at a time when June was already the hottest ever recorded worldwide, according to the European observatory Copernicus.
Sources: AFP, APE-MPE