More than 30 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings or advisories across the West on Saturday, as forecasters warned of more record high temperatures.
Of note: McCarran International Airport tied Las Vegas' all-time record highest temperature of 117°F on Saturday evening, per a National Weather Service statement. Flights were canceled at the airport Friday as the temperature hit 116°F.
Death Valley Temp Update
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) July 11, 2021
Saturday, July 10th, 2021
The high temperature at #DeathValley National Park reached 129.4°F (54.1°C) - rounding to 129°F at 4:27pm PT. 🌡️
1 in 3 chance of reaching 130°F tomorrow. Stay tuned, stay safe, stay smart, & stay hydrated.@DeathValleyNPS pic.twitter.com/8XhZgliHo7
- California's Death Valley hit 129.4°F Saturday and 130°F on Friday, with the NWS warning it could reach 130°F again Sunday — marking some of the hottest temperatures ever reliably recorded on Earth.
- The World Meteorological Organization, which officially declares temperature records, is in the process of examining whether last year's temperature of 130°F in Death Valley was Earth's hottest recorded temperature since at least 1931, the Washington Post notes.
What else is happening: California's power regulator and Nevada public utility NV Energy asked people to conserve power, as the states were hit by triple-digit temperatures.
- The extreme heat is spurring wildfires across several U.S. states and Canada, triggering evacuations in California, Oregon and Idaho, and British Columbia.
- Two Arizona firefighters died when their aircraft crashed while responding to a wildfire in Mohave County.
By the numbers: Other notable temperatures in California on Saturday included Pine Flat hitting 113°F and Fresno reaching 110 °F.
- A temperature of 112°F was recorded in Phoenix, Arizona.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Andrew Freedman: The ongoing heat wave is the latest in a series of extreme heat events to hit the West so far this spring and summer. In a vicious feedback, the intense drought is helping to vault temperatures higher, while the heat is worsening the drought at the same time.
- Human-caused climate change is dramatically boosting the odds and severity of heat waves such as this one. A study out this week on the Pacific Northwest heat event concluded it would have been "virtually impossible" without global warming.
For the record: North America experienced its hottest June on record last month, as a deadly heat wave struck the Pacific Northwest.
Go deeper: Extreme heat has killed an estimated 1 billion small sea creatures
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
