A dangerous heat wave is baking much of the United States for yet another day, as states in the South and areas out West prepare for a scorching Fourth of July holiday.
High heat and humidity has blanketed the South for days after a heat dome that parked over Texas for three weeks expanded into neighboring regions. Meanwhile in the interior of California and parts of the Southwest, temperatures spiked over the weekend and triple-digit conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The overlapping and unrelenting heat waves across the southern part of the country are the kinds of extreme heat events that climate scientists say will be more common in a warming world. Studies have shown that climate change is making heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting.
In an update Monday, the National Weather Service said heat across the South “will be less oppressive today,” but added that heat index values — the “feels like” temperatures when humidity and air temperatures are combined — could reach up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. These conditions “can be dangerous if spending an extended amount of time outdoors,” the agency said.
The National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, warned that the heat will be accompanied by tumultuous weather.
“Like a broken record, we’ll repeat the same forecast once again today. Hot & humid conditions will persist with scattered to numerous storms,” the agency tweeted Monday.
Heat advisories are also in place in Minnesota, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
High temperatures will also be a factor along the West Coast and across the southwestern states heading into the Fourth of July.
The region already experienced a sweltering weekend, with triple-digit temperatures recorded in California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix said high temperatures hit 115 F on Sunday in the city. That same day, temperatures in Las Vegas reached 110 F, tying a record for the shortest time between the city’s first 100-degree and 110-degree days, at two days.
“The only other time this has happened was in 1955,” NWS Las Vegas tweeted Sunday.
The agency said temperatures will climb “well above normal” through the holiday, with triple-digit highs expected in multiple cities, including Las Vegas, Death Valley, Lake Havasu City and Bishop.
The region is not expected to see much relief until later this week.
“Highs well into the triple digits are forecast throughout the Central Valley region of California and Desert Southwest,” the National Weather Service said in its Monday forecast.
The heat is then expected to move into Northern California and western Oregon, where the agency said “highs are forecast to reach into the 90s and low 100s on Tuesday.”
The U.S. is not alone in experiencing an intense heat wave relatively early in the summer season. Parts of China, particularly in the northern regions, have been sweltering under extreme heat. The capital, Beijing, is approaching 10 straight days of temperatures in excess of 95 degrees, The Associated Press reported.