Millions suffer from July 4th heatwave

MELINA WALLING, Associated Press

4 hours ago

A temperature of 108 degrees is displayed on a bank sign in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, July 3, 2024. A heat wave with triple-digit temperatures is expected in California’s Central Valley over the next few days. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

About 134 million people in the United States are on alert as an “extremely dangerous and record-breaking” heat wave hits much of the country, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas that could see temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or well into the triple digits (well above 37 degrees Celsius) include nearly the entire West Coast, the southern Plains, much of the lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and parts of Florida, said Bob Oravec, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service.

The Pacific Northwest will see temperatures rise later in the weekend. Arizona will continue to heat up as firefighters battle a wildfire near Phoenix, where some are battling burns from hot asphalt, concrete or other surfaces. And wetter regions will see a muggy weekend.

“If it’s both humid and hot, you can’t really rely on sweating to cool you down to a safe level,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

It’s a dangerous weather event hitting Northern California just in time for a holiday weekend. When people party, “it’s very easy to get distracted,” stay out longer and forget to hydrate, said Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “And then all of a sudden, you’re in danger.”

Human-induced climate change is making heat waves longer and more intense. More research will be needed to establish a direct link between an individual event like this and climate change, but given the overall trajectory, Swain wasn’t surprised by this weekend’s forecast. Still, “the pace of record-breaking heat and extreme precipitation is getting a little overwhelming,” he said.

The expected duration and magnitude of this heat wave, along with the high nighttime temperatures, compound the health risks for people. “I think this heat wave could be more severe, more dangerous and record-breaking in many cases than the heat waves that are producing these slightly higher temperatures,” Swain said.

Stachelski added that even after the highest temperatures have passed, heat can still be dangerous, especially for the most vulnerable: the young, the elderly and those without access to air conditioning.

Experts are recommending people drink plenty of water and find air conditioning. Big Sur State Parks has used Sabrina Carpenter’s words to urge hikers to “please, please, please,” avoid caffeine and alcohol, wear sunscreen and know the trails ahead of time.

The prolonged high temperatures ravaging the West Coast will also dry out vegetation and set the stage for more severe fires in the remaining months of the season, Swain said.

“Heat is an underestimated killer,” Swain said, referring both to short-term heat waves like this one and to broader global warming trends. “It’s a killer that we’ve long underestimated. And I think we continue to do so at our peril.”

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