Cities across southern and western states issued warnings and opened cooling centers ahead of a potentially dangerous heat wave expected from Wednesday, with temperatures set to soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in places.
At least 29 million people will be under heat alerts and warnings from Wednesday and into the weekend, in a region stretching from central California into Nevada and Arizona, as well as a portion of southern Texas.
An area of high pressure is bringing with it unusually elevated temperatures with daytime highs 10 to 25 degrees above the average across the affected areas.
Several places could post record temperatures Friday, NBC meteorologist Angie Lassmann said in a forecast early Wednesday.
San Angelo in central Texas reached 111 degrees Tuesday — the city’s third hottest day after it reached 112 degrees last year.
The National Weather Service said California’s Central Valley could see temperatures "well up into the 100s at the hottest location," while heat about 110 degrees will be common in interior desert regions, including Las Vegas, by Thursday.
In California's Death Valley National Park, it could reach somewhere between 118 and 121 degrees.
California has gone to phase 2 of its extreme heat temperature response plan, which puts state agencies on an active footing to respond to heat-related illnesses and prepare cooling centers.
"Extreme heat can be deadly. Together, let’s do everything we can to stay safe. The state is taking action to protect and inform communities and Californians should take steps now to protect themselves from the heat," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement
Phoenix could reach 110 degrees for the first time this year Wednesday— the average date for the city to get this hot is June 11.
And Phoenix is forecast to get even hotter and reach 113 degrees on Thursday, which would be its hottest day since records began 129 years ago. Heat records are likely to be rewritten in other cities too.
San Antonio, Texas, opened up 30 cooling centers for those in need of air conditioning, while centers are also in operation in Corpus Christi, Texas; San Jose, California, and in Clark County in southern Nevada.
Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the U.S., issued a heat warning for the desert area of Antelope Valley covering Wednesday through Friday, urging people to drink lots of fluids and stay out of the sun if possible.
Municipal leaders and first responders have struggled to find methods — and resources to tackle the effects of extreme heat.
Last year in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, there were 645 heat-related deaths. Contributing to this was a punishing 31-day period when temperatures consecutively reached 110 degrees.
Now, firefighters are using ice submersion techniques pioneered by the U.S. Army to cool heatstroke victims and hopefully save lives. The plan is to place patients inside a blue bag filled with ice while they are being taken to the emergency room.
“Just last week, we had a critical patient that we were able to bring back before we walked through the emergency room doors,” Fire Capt. John Prato told The Associated Press. “That’s our goal — to improve patient survivability.”
This comes as new projections show that the average cost of cooling a home from June to September is 8% higher than last year.
Authorities are on high alert for fires in the region also, with restrictions on fire usage in place across central and western Arizona. A grass fire near the Central Valley community of Tracy, California, about 65 miles east of San Francisco, grew to more than 14,000 acres over the weekend.
The U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, said Monday that four migrants attempting to enter the country illegally died of heatstroke and dehydration over the weekend.
"We urge anyone considering crossing illegally to understand the severe risks involved. Our agents are working tirelessly to save lives. But the best way to stay safe is not to attempt an illegal crossing," El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony S. Good said in a statement.
The hot weather will be accompanied by some showers and storms with heavy rain. The system is advancing off the coast of Texas and through southern Louisiana, sparking flood watches through the evening.
