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16-07-2023
WASHINGTON: More than a third of Americans are under heat advisories as extreme temperatures are likely to hit several states in the United States this weekend, media reported yesterday.
About 113 million people in the US have been affected by the advisories from Florida to Texas to California up to the north-western state of Washington.
The extreme temperatures have forced the residents to use air conditioners while people have broken the record for power consumption in Texas since last year.
As many as 27 million people are expected to suffer from high temperatures of over 43°C in the coming days.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the heat is caused by an upper-level ridge of high pressure, calling it “one of the strongest” systems to be experienced by the region.
“The subtropical ridge responsible for this likely historic heatwave across the region is not showing signs of letting up anytime soon,” the NWS said.
The estimated number of people to die from heat-related incidents in the US is 700, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The daytime temperatures are expected to remain up to 46°C (today) while the heat is forecast to remain until next week.
The temperatures in Phoenix are likely to hit or exceed 43°C in the next five days, breaking its longest hot spell which lasted 18 days.
Las Vegas may experience 47°C in the next few days while Death Valley, California is also expected to surpass its all-time high temperature of 54°C.
A warning was issued to the Las Vegas residents by the NWS. “‘It’s the desert, of course it’s hot’. This is a DANGEROUS mind set! This heatwave is NOT typical desert heat due to its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, & warm nights. Everyone needs to take this heat seriously, including those who live in the desert,” it said.
The extreme heat has also forced the closure or shortening of hours of parks, museums, zoos and businesses.
Moreover, hospitals are also seeing cases related to heat.
“We’re getting a lot of heat-related illness now, a lot of dehydration, heat exhaustion,” said Dr Ashkan Morim, who works at Dignity Health Siena Hospital, outside of Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, the heatwave has also grappled Europe which led to the closure of a major tourist attraction in Greece on Friday.
The high temperatures are a result of climate change and El Niño, say the scientists. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
