Heatwave Across US West Breaks Records For Highest Temperatures

An intense heatwave across the US west has brought unusually warm temperatures to the region — some of the highest of the season — and broken heat records. From a report: Millions of Americans from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle are under heat alerts. Even before this latest bout of extreme weather, which began on Wednesday and is expected to last through the weekend, summer 2024 was already considered the hottest summer on record.

In California, the desert city of Indio saw its hottest 5 September at 121F (49.4C), breaking a previous record of 120 from 2020, while Palm Springs tied its heat record for the day at 121F. The city recorded its all-time high of 124F in July. The Los Angeles region has not yet broken any records — although Burbank tied for its all-time high of 114F — the area is bracing for a days-long stretch of triple-digit temperatures. This week Phoenix marked 100 straight days at 100F or more and its hottest 5 September at 116F. In the Pacific north-west, schools around Portland closed early due to the heat and the typically cool Seattle broke its daily temperature record on Thursday at 89F.

This summer was the hottest on record across the world and the Earth saw its hottest day in recorded history on 22 July, which broke a record set the previous day. Heatwaves are growing more frequent, more extreme and longer-lasting in the US west and across the world as the climate crisis drives increasingly severe and dangerous weather conditions. Heatwaves are the weather event most directly affected by the climate crisis, an expert told the Guardian in July.