Mother Nature continues to show no mercy on many regions of the United States and the Northern Hemisphere.
As meteorologists predicted as the weekend kicked off, temperatures throughout the Southwest, California, and Florida soared to near-record heights on Sunday.
California’s Death Valley, known as America’s chief measuring stick when it comes to feeling the heat, reached 126 degrees Fahrenheit (F) on Sunday afternoon. The same figure is expected there on Monday.
The hottest temperature on record in the Death Valley was 134 F (56.67 C) on July 10 in 1913. Atmospheric conditions that year, like this year, were characterized by El Niño, which creates a warming trend in North and South America, among other trends globally.
Los Angeles wasn’t far behind, peaking at 117, according to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) latest forecast discussion. The website stated: “Dangerously hot temperatures are expected across the interior through at least Monday, as strong high pressure remains over the West Coast.” Farther north, Paso Robles officials witnessed a high of 112 on their airport’s thermometer.
Las Vegas—no stranger to stifling summers—flirted with 120 F throughout the weekend, while northwestern Arizona hovered around the same mark. On Twitter, NWS Las Vegas offered practical advice for those seeking to avoid heat stroke: “Limit time spent outdoors between the hours of 9 am & 9 pm and drink plenty of water.”
Fox 5 Vegas meteorologist Les Krifaton said the city registered a maximum temperature of 116 F on Sunday, matching its all-time record for July 16.
“The week ahead is crazy; the temperatures won’t break anytime soon,” he said, noting that southern Nevada’s excessive-heat warning would remain in place until Tuesday.
Krifaton advised staying indoors whenever possible on Monday, and to stay hydrated albeit without going overboard.
“Hydration is one thing, but be careful with drinking too much water,” he pointed out. “I recommend electrolytes, because when consuming a whole lot of water, you can deplete the salt in your body.”
In New Mexico and Texas, the weather was no rodeo: NWS prognosticators continued to expect temperatures in both states to level off around 100 F or slightly higher. Midland and Odessa endured a weekend of muggy excessive-heat warnings with “dangerously hot conditions” up to 104.
Meanwhile in the Southeast, the effects of the higher humidity were felt–a key factor in Miami establishing a heat-index record of 35 straight days surpassing 100 F.
Even regions of the Northeast weren’t immune to summer’s sting. According to Weather.com, country star Jason Aldean stopped mid-song during a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, and headed backstage.
“After appearing to visibly struggle, the singer ended mid-song and ran to the back of the stage. A representative later confirmed that Aldean experienced problems with the heat while performing,” the website posted.
Under the El Niño conditions, the United States hasn’t been the only country experiencing a boiling summer.
?️ Dangerous levels of heat are affecting parts of North America, Asia and southern Europe
? China provisionally recorded it’s highest temperature on record on Sunday and some Mediterranean countries will challenge their respective records this week pic.twitter.com/zuD4rFEgng
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 16, 2023
According to multiple provisional reports, including the UK’s MET Office, the mercury in Xinjiang’s Sanbao was said to have climbed to a record 126 F (52.2 C) on July 16. Independent French weather forecasting company Meteo Consult forecast similar conditions for July 17, predicting highs of 118 F (48 C) that feel like 129 F (54 C).
Sanbao is located in the Turpan Depression, referred to by locals as “the Fire Continent.”
The previous record maximum temperature set in China was also in Xinjiang: 122.9 F (50.5 C) in 2017.
