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U.S. NEWS Thursday 11 July 2024
Las Vegas hits record of fifth consecutive day of 115 degrees or

greater as heat wave scorches US

By KEN RITTER and TY ONEIL County Sheriff's Depart-
Associated Press ment said. The temperature
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Ve- that day hit 120 F (48.8 C).
gas baked Wednesday in The U.S. heat wave came as
a record fifth consecutive the global temperature in
day of temperatures sizzling June was a record warm for
at 115 degrees Fahrenheit the 13th straight month and
(46.1 Celsius) or greater marked the 12th straight
amid a lengthening hot month that the world was
spell that is expected to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 de-
broil much of the U.S. into grees Fahrenheit) warmer
the weekend, the National than pre-industrial times,
Weather Service said. the European climate ser-
The temperature climbed vice Copernicus said. Most
to 115 at 1:13 p.m. at Harry of this heat, trapped by
Reid International Airport, human-caused climate
breaking the old mark of change, is from long-term
four consecutive days. On warming from greenhouse
Sunday, the heat wave set gases emitted by the burn-
Las Vegas' all-time temper- ing of coal, oil and natural
ature record of 120 F (48.8 gas, scientists say.
C). In Las Vegas, hotels and ca-
Even by desert standards, sinos keep their visitors cool
the prolonged baking that People cool off in misters along the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Las Vegas. with massive AC units. But
Nevada's largest city is ex- Associated Press for homeless residents and
periencing is nearly unprec- others without access to
edented. "Even people of average pected to keep doing so men and one was a wom- safe environments, officials
"This is the most extreme age who are seemingly all week, although the end an. The youngest was 33 have set up emergency
heat wave in the history of healthy can suffer heat ill- of the siege was in sight in but all of the others were cooling centers at commu-
record-keeping in Las Ve- ness when it's so hot its some areas. age 64 and older. nity centers across southern
gas since 1937," said me- hard for your body to cool The heat was blamed for a The National Park Ser- Nevada.
teorologist John Adair, a down," said Alexis Brignola, motorcyclist's death over vice was investigating the Firefighters in Henderson,
veteran of three decades an epidemiologist at the the weekend in Death Val- third hiker death in recent Nevada, last week be-
at the National Weather Southern Nevada Health ley National Park. At Death weeks at the Grand Can- came the first in the re-
Service office in southern District. Valley on Tuesday, tourists yon, where temperatures gion to deploy what city
Nevada. The searing heat wave grip- queued for photos in front on parts of some trails can spokesperson Madeleine
Keith Bailey and Lee Doss ping large parts of the U.S. of a giant thermometer that reach 120 F (49 C) in the Skains called "polar pods"
met early Wednesday also led to record daily high was reading 120 F (48.9 C). shade. Bystanders and used to cool a person ex-
morning at Las Vegas park temperatures in Oregon, Simon Pell and Lisa Gregory medical staff on Sunday un- hibiting symptoms of heat
to beat the heat and exer- where it is suspected to from London left their air- successfully attempted CPR stroke or a related medical
cise their dogs Breakie, Ollie have caused eight deaths, conditioned RV to experi- on the 50-year-old man, the emergency. Skains said four
and Stanley. the state medical exam- ence a midday blast of park service said. vehicles in the city of more
"If I don't get out by 8:30 in iner's office said. More than heat that would be unthink- An excessive heat warning than 330,000 residents have
the morning, then it's not 142 million people around able back home. continued Wednesday in the devices that are similar
going to happen that day," the U.S. were under heat "I don't need a thermom- many parts of southern and to units first put into use a
Bailey said, wearing a sun- alerts Wednesday, espe- eter to tell me that it's hot," central Arizona. Forecast- month ago in Phoenix. They
hat while the dogs played cially in Western states. Pell said. "You hear about ers said the high in Phoenix can be filled with water and
in the grass. On the other side of the na- it in stories and and wildlife was expected to reach 114 ice to immerse a patient in
Alyse Sobosan said this July tion, the National Weather documentaries. But just for F (45.5 C) after it hit 116 F cold water on the way to a
has been the hottest in the Service warned of major-to- me, I wanted to experience (46.6 C) on Tuesday, tying hospital.
15 years she has lived in extreme heat risk over por- what it would feel like. ... It's the previous record for the Extreme heat in the West
Las Vegas. A counselor at tions of the East Coast. an incredible experience." date set in 1958. has also dried out vegeta-
a school that's on summer An excessive heat warning Record highs for the date In Marana, Arizona, near tion that fuels wildfires.
break, Sobosan said she remained in place Wednes- were also hit Tuesday in Tucson, authorities were A new blaze in Oregon,
doesn't step outside dur- day for the Philadelphia parts of Oregon and Wash- investigating the death of dubbed the Larch Creek
ing the day if she can help area, northern Delaware ington, with Portland reach- a 2-year-old girl who was Fire, quickly grew to more
it, and waits until 9 p.m. or and nearly all of New Jer- ing 103 F (39.4 C) and Sa- left alone in a vehicle on a than 5 square miles (12
later to walk her dogs. sey. Temperatures were lem and Eugene hitting 105 Tuesday afternoon where square kilometers) Tues-
"It's oppressively hot," she around 90 F (32.2 C) for most F (40.5 C). the high hit 111 F (43.8 C). day evening as flames tore
said. "It's like you can't really of the region, and forecast- The Oregon State Medi- Police Capt. Tim Brunenk- through grassland in Wasco
live your life." ers warned the heat index cal Examiner's Office on ant said the car apparently County. Evacuations were
It's also dangerously hot, could soar as high as 108 F Wednesday confirmed two was left running and the air ordered for remote homes.
health officials have em- (42.2 C). The warning was new suspected heat-relat- conditioning was function- In California, firefight-
phasized. There have been due to expire at 8 p.m. ed deaths, bringing to eight al, but it was unclear how ers were battling least 19
at least nine heat-related Wednesday, though fore- the total number of deaths long the girl was by herself. wildfires Wednesday, in-
deaths this year in Clark casters said there may be during the heat-wave. One In Lake Havasu, Arizona, cluding a 45-square-mile
County, which encompass- a need to extend it. was an 83-year-old man in a 4-month-old baby died (117-square-kilometer)
es Las Vegas, according to Dozens of locations across Washington County and from heat-related compli- blaze that prompted evac-
the county coroner's office. the West tied or broke pre- the other was a 72-year-old cations Friday after becom- uation orders for about 200
But officials say the toll is vious heat records over man in Multnomah County. ing unconscious during a homes in the mountains of
likely higher. the weekend and are ex- Seven of the deaths were boating trip, the Mohave Santa Barbara County.q