Even desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking the Southwest this week.
People gather under the shade of a Phoenix bus stop, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. More than 400 people died in metro Phoenix last summer from heat-related health conditions, according to a Maricopa County health report, with people experiencing homelessness making up the largest proportion of that death toll. Heat kills more Americans than any other weather-related disaster, according to data tracked by the National Weather Service - and climate change is making these extreme events more intense and frequent.Īlerts for dangerous levels of heat have been posted in Texas and Arizona for more than 30 days in a row, and dozens of heat records are set to fall this weekend from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Northwest.Ĭalifornia’s Central Valley faces a historic heat wave with temperatures in some locations forecast to exceed 120 degrees.Īnd in Phoenix, July is off to its hottest start on record: Every day has climbed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more so far, and the forecast is looking to remain that way well into next week - potentially the longest stretch of temperatures higher than 110 degrees in the city’s history. It’s also more deadly for people experiencing homelessness, communities of color, low-income families and the elderly. Outdoor workers, particularly those in the farming and construction industries, are just one of the groups for which summer is now a survival test. Ocean heat around Florida is 'unprecedented,' and scientists are warning of major impactsĮvery day is a grueling endurance exercise for Martinez, punctuated by sips of water and taking shelter from the blistering sun. Scientists are concerned Florida's unprecedented water temperature could lead to bleaching this year. Struggling or dead corals in the mass bleaching event in the Florida Keys in 2014.
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