‘Very Dangerous’ Temperatures Expected in 3 States

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists are warning of “very dangerous” temperatures as a heat wave grips the U.S. Southwest this week.
This summer, California battled weeks of heat that sent temperatures soaring well past 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. July 2024 was the hottest month California has ever seen, Newsweek previously reported, spiking temperatures to 129 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley in southern California.
California will again experience brutally high temperatures this week, as will southern Nevada and western Arizona, given excessive heat watches issued for those areas on Monday. The watches were issued on Monday morning, and they will go into effect as early as Tuesday morning and last through Friday.
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“Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures of 102 to 107 degrees possible. High heat risk will impact most of the population and those who are not accustomed to the heat,” an excessive heat watch issued by the NWS office in Hanford, California, said. “Low temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70s in the warmest locations, such as the larger cities.”
The western San Fernando Valley could see temperatures exceeding 115 degrees, which “has the potential to be a very dangerous heatwave” for the area, the alert said.
Other parts of California could climb even higher, like Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park.
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“High temperatures 104 to 108 in Las Vegas and Pahrump, 101 to 105 in Kingman, 107 to 110 in northeast Clark County, 111 to 115 along the Colorado River Valley from Hoover Dam to Lake Havasu City, 105 to 110 in Barstow and the Morongo Basin, and 115 to 120 at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park,” the alert from NWS Las Vegas said.
NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld told Newsweek that the high temperatures aren’t abnormal.
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“We often will have a pretty hot first week of September,” she said. “This is one of our hottest times of the year.”
Schoenfeld suggested avoiding the hotter times each day, which typically occur between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Heat will peak Wednesday through Friday, and cooler temperatures will move in over the weekend.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,” one of the excessive heat watches said. “Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.
The high temperatures, accompanied by other weather factors, could heighten the risk of wildfires, the NWS Climate Prediction Center warned last week. Meanwhile, the Northeast and Midwest are expecting cooler temperatures than normal this week.