DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — After causing deaths and breaking records In the west, another prolonged heat wave will hit the US on Monday, with high temperatures also forecast for large parts of the East Coast and the South.
The dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley.
The heat wave in the US came as global temperatures hit record highs in June for the 13th month in a row and it was the 12th consecutive month that the Earth was 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than in pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said.
An extreme heat warning, the highest alert, was issued by the National Weather Service on Monday. The warning was issued for parts of the US states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, while parts of the East Coast and states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi were under heat warnings.
Dozens of locations in the western and northwestern Pacific Ocean matched or broke previous heat records this past weekend.
A high temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded Saturday and Sunday at Death Valley National Park in Eastern California. One visitor died Saturday from the heat and another person was hospitalized, officials said.
The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin area during the scorching weather, the park said in a statement.
The person who died has not been identified. The other motorcyclist was taken to a Las Vegas hospital for “severe heat illness,” the statement said. Due to the high temperatures, emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond, as aircraft generally cannot safely fly above 120 F (48.8 C), officials said.
The other four members of the party were treated at the scene.
Thor Teigen poses in a fur coat next to a thermometer that reads 131 degrees Fahrenheit/55 degrees Celsius at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center, in Death Valley National Park, California, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
“While this is a very exciting time to experience potential world record temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their activities carefully and avoid extended periods outside of an air-conditioned vehicle or building when temperatures are this high,” said Park Manager Mike Reynolds.
Caution is advised in hot weather
Officials warned that heat illness and injury are cumulative and can be built up over the course of a day or several days.
“In addition to the inability to cool down while riding due to the high ambient temperatures, experiencing Death Valley on a motorcycle in such hot conditions is made even more difficult by the necessary heavy safety equipment that must be worn to minimize injury in the event of an accident,” the park’s statement said.
Across the desert in Nevada, Las Vegas reached a record high of 120 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.
Temperatures above 100 degrees were common in Oregon, where several records were broken, including in Salem, where it reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, surpassing the 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius) reached in 1960.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and stay in touch with family members and neighbors,” a weather advisory for the Baltimore area reads. “Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”
Heat records broken in the southwest
Warnings for rare heat were even extended to higher elevations, including around Lake Tahoe, on the California-Nevada border. The weather service in Reno, Nevada, warned of “high heat risks, even in the mountains.”
“How hot is it? Well, high temperatures in (western Nevada and northeastern California) won’t be below 100 degrees (37.8 C) until next weekend,” the service reported online. “And unfortunately, there won’t be much relief tonight either.”
More extreme temperatures are forecast for the near future, including a possible 130°F (54.4°C) by midweek in Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley. The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134°F (56.67°C) in July 1913 in Death Valley, though some experts dispute that measurement and say the real record was 130°F (54.4°C), recorded there in July 2021.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. AP reporters Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, and Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.