Page 28 - aruba-today-20170617

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 17 June 2017

Southwest U.S. preps for 120 temps: Water, water, more water

By JOHN ANTCZAK tendees to stay hydrated.
Associated Press It was providing free water
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When during the nighttime event,
bracing for 120 degrees, it’s which has drawn more
all about the water. than 130,000 people in past
Drinking it, splashing in it to years.
stay cool, and drinking it In California, forecasters
some more. A lot more. said prolonged heat would
That’s what officials were make snow melt faster in
urging and residents were the Sierra Nevada, where
planning Friday as a po- massive winter storms coat-
tentially record-shattering ed towering peaks after
heat wave started envel- years of drought. Water-
oping the Southwest United ways could flood, with va-
States and threatened to cationers warned to be
bring temperatures of more
than 120 degrees to parts cautious near water and
of Arizona and California avoid camping close to
next week. streams.
People in places like Palm Camp counselor Sabrina
Springs and Phoenix are Chu, 17, said she and oth-
used to seriously high tem- ers in San Francisco were
peratures, but 120 de- having kids drink lots of wa-
grees becomes all the talk ter while playing outdoors.
around the water cooler. A man runs through the desert at sunrise, Friday, June 16, 2017, in Phoenix. The city was expected to
And with the health dan- Associated Press have a high of 82 Sunday,
gers of heat and dehydra- well above the normal up-
tion, that’s where authori- Strong high pressure build- above 120 several times, the agency said in a state- per 60s.
ties hope they keep com- ing over Western states is most recently hitting 122 on ment. “Compared to other plac-
ing back. bringing the hot onslaught. June 29, 2013. The area saw more than es in California, the Bay has
Teresa Flores in Phoenix said Officials warned of exces- The National Weather Ser- 1,400 rescues and 84 pretty consistent weather,
she will make sure her two sive heat across southern vice in Phoenix said the deaths last fiscal year, ac- so this is unusually hot for
sons and daughter stay hy- portions of Arizona and Ne- last time the temperature cording to statistics provid- the area,” Chu said.
drated. vada, and throughout the topped 120 was 1995, at ed by the agency. Through In Southern California, in-
“Water, water, water, wa- 450-mile length of Califor- 121. The record high is 122 April, agents in the Tucson land valleys, mountains
ter,” Flores said. “So even nia’s Central Valley. Almost degrees, set on June 26, Sector have rescued 160 and deserts would likely
when they think they’re not the entire Golden State was 1990. people and reported 14 bear the brunt of the heat
thirsty, they’re drinking wa- predicted to simmer above In the Arizona desert near deaths. wave. Cities such as Red-
ter.” normal temperatures, eas- the U.S.-Mexico border, the Las Vegas and nearby cit- lands and Fontana east
Jennifer Vollmann brought ing just short of the coast. heat can be so deadly that ies also are preparing for of Los Angeles planned to
her 2-year-old daughter to With up to 122 on the hori- the Border Patrol reassigns the first heat wave of the use community facilities as
a public pool in downtown zon, Palm Springs will have agents and resources to season with extra cooling
Phoenix, where the tem- cooling centers in commu- areas that are especially stations. Tuesday’s high cooling centers.
perature hit 108 Thursday. nity centers and libraries, dangerous for immigrants. was expected to hit 115. Back at the pool in Phoenix,
With 121 degrees predict- and Phoenix and nonprofit “It is physically impossible With the three-day outdoor Vollmann sounded a note
ed Tuesday, “we’ll be here, groups are planning water for the average person to Electric Daisy Carnival mu- of optimism about temper-
she’ll be in the pool,” Voll- stations to help the home- carry enough water to sur- sic festival kicking off Fri- atures “cooling down.”
mann said as her daughter less and others. vive several days of walk- day, organizers used social “It’ll be 110 soon,” she
ate a blue ice pop. Palm Springs has soared ing through the desert,” media to encourage at- said.q