Death Valley Hits 130 Degrees as Heat Wave Sweeps the West

 

Much of the West again faces record-breaking temperatures over the coming days, with over 31 million people in areas under either an excessive heat warning or a heat advisory. It is the third heat wave to sweep the region this summer.

The extreme temperatures that scorched the Pacific Northwest in late June led to nearly 200 deaths in Oregon and Washington State, as people struggled to keep cool in poorly air-conditioned homes, on the street, and in fields and warehouses.

The same “heat dome” effect that enveloped the Northwest — in which hot, dry ground traps heat and accelerates rising temperatures — has descended on California and parts of the Southwest this weekend.

Sarah Rogowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that daytime highs between 100 and 120 degrees would hit parts of California. Most dangerously, temperatures will remain high into the night, hovering 15 to 25 degrees above average...MORE