Forecasters are saying major cities, including Phoenix, Las Vegas and Tucson, as well as parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, will reach highs above 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The NWS has issued widespread excessive heat warnings beginning today and continuing through Wednesday next week, with temperatures to be the highest so far this year. But starting Sunday, the NWS says we can expect “record heat” through Wednesday.
LasVegas this weekend. Be prepared if traveling. cawx nvwx azwx 5Too86dvgQ
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) June 18, 2016
“If we are going to 115 or 120 degrees Fahrenheit, people need to realize they are really in a life-threatening situation if they don’t wet themselves down and drink water,” said Kevin Kalkbrenner, Phoenix’s director of homeland security and emergency management, reports CTV News Canada.
In 2015, according to the Hazardous Heat Report, there was a total of 45 heat-related deaths in the U.S. with Nevada recording the most, with 25 deaths. The worst place to be is inside a home with no air conditioning. This contributed to 15 people dying last year.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is warning everyone to watch for signs of heat illness: thirst, red skin, cramping, exhaustion and a lack of sweat, reports U.S. News and World Report. Many state parks are posting rangers at hiking trails to warn visitors of the heat danger. In Arizona, rangers will be asking hikers to get off the trails by noontime.
Surprisingly, extreme heat affects a number of services we take for granted. Rails on metro lines expand, although they are made to withstand the heat, crops need more water, and the electrical power grid is overworked. Even airlines delay flights when the temperatures get too high.
But the jump from moderate to extreme temperatures hits people the hardest. This is why states under the extreme heat alert will have many volunteer organizations handing out bottles of water, especially to the homeless and elderly.
High temperatures are also hard on pets and people are being reminded to think of their safety during this heatwave. And it’s a good idea to remind everyone, please don’t leave your children or pets in your vehicle. A vehicle sitting in a parking lot with the temperature at over 100 degrees turns into an oven.
