PHOENIX.- Phoenix suffered its 31st consecutive day of at least 43.3 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) and other parts of the US They registered record temperatures, after a week in which a considerable part of the American population endured extreme heat.
The high in Phoenix was 111 F (43.8 C), the National Weather Service said.
July has been sweltering so far, in what scientists estimate will be the warmest month on record and likely the hottest human civilization has seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service proclaimed on Thursday that July had shattered records.
Record heat began to hit the southern Southwestern United States in late June and spread from Texas to New Mexico, Arizona and as far as the California desert.
A massive wildfire burning out of control in the Mojave National Preserve spread rapidly on Sunday thanks to erratic winds, as firefighters reported progress against another large blaze further south that prompted evacuations.
The York fire started near remote Caruthers Canyon on Friday and caused enormous smoke visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) across the border from Nevada.
Flames up to 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots have scorched more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert brush, juniper and Joshua trees, according to a report Sunday.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready-to-ignite source, and when accompanied by these weather conditions, it produces a fire that travels a long distance and with high flames, which causes extreme fire behavior,” the authorities indicated. There were no structures threatened, but the fire was not contained either.
To the southwest, the Bonny fire was holding steady over about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) on steep hills in Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the remote town of Aguanga, California.
Temperatures of more than 100 F (37.7 C) were expected in parts of the San Joaquin Valley through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
As climate change brings stronger and longer heat waves, record temperatures across the United States have killed dozens of people, with the poorest Americans suffering the most. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
The 86 heat-related deaths recorded last year indoors occurred in environments without refrigeration.
“To put it simply, heat kills,” said Kristie Ebie, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It is the poorest and hottest people, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City, who are most likely to suffer sweltering heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 US metropolitan areas.
Back in Phoenix, seasonal thunderstorms could bring some relief by dropping temperatures Monday and Tuesday.
“It should be around 108 degrees (42.2 C), so we’re breaking that 110 degree (43.3 C) streak,” said meteorologist Tom Frieders. “Increasing cloud cover could put temperatures on a downward trend.”
However, the relief may be short-lived. Highs were expected to climb back above 110 F (43.3 C) on Wednesday, reaching 46.1 C (115 F) by the end of the week.
Phoenix has also experienced a record 16 consecutive night of lows that did not drop below 90 F (32.2 C), making it difficult for people to cool off after dark.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas was still nearing its warmest July on record. The city was approaching the 2010 record for average highs and lows each day in July, which stands at 35.5 C (96.2 F).
Extreme heat was also affecting the eastern United States. The high temperatures extended from the central north and towards the northeast and the central Atlantic coast, where some places had their warmest days of the year.
