The rain-starved Western United States is already suffering from a historic drought. Now temperatures are expected to hit all-time records this week, straining the electrical grid and raising fears about wild fires.
“A prolonged and record-breaking heat wave is underway across the western U.S.,” the National Weather Service declared Sunday. Twelve states are included in a heat-related advisory.
Nearly 40 million Americans could see highs in the triple digits, with hundred-degree heat extending all the way north to the Canadian border, according to The Washington Post. Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit in southern Nevada.
According to Axios, “California’s Central Valley region is likely to see temperatures in the triple digits throughout the week, and even downtown Los Angeles could experience triple-digit heat on Tuesday. Areas in the San Diego, L.A., and San Francisco metro regions could see triple-digit heat lasting much of the week.”
Arizona, Utah and Montana are also in the midst of a heat wave. The temperature in Billings, Montana is typically in the 70s this time of year. On Tuesday it’s expected to reach 105. Phoenix ,Arizona posted its first 110 degree day over the weekend and is anticipating several more.
As the temperatures rise, so does the threat of wild fires and worsening droughts.
CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller calls it a “viscous cycle.”
“Record-high temperatures will just continue the vicious cycle that so often happens in droughts, where hot, cloudless skies result in increased evaporation of what little water is left in lakes and rivers,” he said “This, in turn, worsens the drought.”
Miller added, “This has a clear fingerprint of climate change, where increasing temperatures will drive this vicious cycle, especially in places like the Western US, where rainfall has been noticeably lessening.”
