While the southwestern United States is used to scorching heat, the current heat wave has been historically early and extreme.
Record-breaking temperatures shattered early summer norms in the western United States, with a slight relief as the first major heat wave of the year subsided on Friday.
Millions of residents in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas were under excessive heat warnings this week.
Although the region is no stranger to hot weather, the impact of climate change exacerbated by human actions has resulted in more severe weather conditions, making this heat wave historically early.
Las Vegas hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) on Thursday, marking the earliest occurrence of such high temperatures in the year.
“The recent days have been scorching,” noted the National Weather Service in the city, listing numerous locations where daily temperature records were broken.
One of the notable records was set in the notoriously hot Death Valley desert, where temperatures reached 122F.
2024-06-07 23:00:03
Post from phys.org