Arizona’s July 21-28 Heat Wave Revisited: An Even More Warmer City to See What Happens if the Sun goes Down
Death Valley, California, was expected to have a high of 122 F (5 C) on Saturday, but the weather service says the temperature will fall to 112 F (40 C) by Tuesday along with a chance of rain.
It’s still dangerous for the Southwest, and relief may be on the way. The temperature in Phoenix was 116 (46.7 C), which was far above the average temperature of 106 (41.2 C).
Results from toxicological tests that can takes weeks or months after an autopsy is conducted could eventually result in many deaths listed as under investigation as heat associated being changed to confirmed.
Maricopa County, the most populous in Arizona and home to Phoenix, reported this week that its public health department had confirmed 25 heat-associated deaths this year as of July 21, with 249 more under investigation.
“Anyone can be at risk outside in this record heat,” the fire department in Goodyear, a Phoenix suburb, warned residents on social media while offering ideas to stay safe.
Scientists calculate that July will prove to be the hottest globally on record and perhaps the warmest human civilization has seen. The US has been hit with an intense heat wave as temperatures moved from the Midwest into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and some places are seeing their warmest days so far this year.
A downward trend in Southwest heat started Wednesday night, when Phoenix saw its first major monsoon storm since the traditional June 15 start of the thunderstorm season. The storm left a swath of the greater Phoenix area without any precipitation, however some eastern suburbs received up to 2.5 inches of precipitation due to high winds and swirling dust.
Already this week, the overnight low at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport fell under 90 F (32.2 C) for the first time in 16 days, finally giving residents some respite from the stifling heat once the sun goes down.
The heat wave that blanketed the southwestern US in July is starting tobate with the arrival of monsoon rains.
The animals are affected by the heat. Police in the city of Burbank, California, found a bear cooling off in a Jacuzzi behind a home on Friday. Police released a video of the animal in a neighborhood about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles near the Verdugo Mountains and warned residents to lock up food and garbage.
High Temperatures in the Desert City of Aguanga, California, during a Wildland Fire and High-Frequency Clouds on Saturday
In Riverside County, more than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes and another 1,400 were facing evacuation warnings as crews battled a wildfire that charred 3.2 square miles (8.3 square kilometers) in the community of Aguanga, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of San Diego, authorities said Saturday. According to reports, a firefighter was injured while fighting a fire which was about 5% contained.
Santa Barbara County is at elevated risk for fire weather due to the expected late afternoon and late evening winds. There was forecast to be hot, dry weather in the valleys and lower mountains.
In California, triple-digit heat was forecast for parts of the San Joaquin Valley from Saturday through Monday.
There are increased chances on Sunday of cooling monsoon thunderstorms. There is a chance of damaging winds, blowing dust and the chance of flash flooding in wet weather, warns the weather service. Sudden rains running off hard-baked surfaces can quickly fill normally dry washes.
But not on Saturday. The high temperature in the desert city with more than 1.6 million residents climbed past 110 F for the 30th straight day, the National Weather Service said. The previous record was set for 18 days in 1974.