Western heat wave has broken hundreds of temperature records and isnt leaving

July 06, 2024

A historically intense and long-lasting heat wave in the Western United States, which has set hundreds of records from Washington state to Arizona, will continue to scorch the region for several more days. The first signs of even modest relief do not materialize until late this coming weekend.

This past weekend, astonishingly hot weather brought all-time highs of 119 degrees to Redding, Calif., and 120 to Las Vegas.

Heat alerts remain in effect for most locations west of the Rockies for days to come. California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state are nearly entirely covered. Excessive-heat warnings — the highest-level alert — are in effect for Boise, Idaho; Fresno, Calif.; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; and Reno, Nev., among other cities.

The National Weather Service’s 0-to-4 HeatRisk scale is set to stay at its two highest levels over large swaths of the region.

The most extreme heat is expected in Central and Southern California over the next several days, but unusually high temperatures will also affect Washington state, Idaho and Utah. Some relief could arrive by Sunday.

“The multiday length and record warm overnight temperatures will continue to cause heat stress in people without adequate cooling and hydration,” the National Weather Service wrote early Monday.

The most notable heat records set so far

Day after day of upper-echelon heat has produced some eye-popping numbers. These are the three most significant heat records set since Friday:

Las Vegas — 120 degrees for a high on Sunday, which broke the old record of 117 set in multiple years.
Palm Springs, Calif. — 124 degrees for a high on Friday, which broke the old record of 123 set in multiple years.
Redding, Calif. — 119 degrees for a high on Saturday, which broke the old record of 118 set on multiple dates, including Friday.

Other locations in California that at least tied all-time highs include Barstow (118), Bishop (111), Fresno (115) Lancaster (115), Twentynine Palms (118) and Ukiah (117).

Hundreds of calendar-day records have also been set, as far north as Seattle in the United States, which hit 93 on Sunday, surpassing the old mark of 90. Heat records also extended into western Canada.

Here are several other notable high temperatures reached in recent days:

Parker, Ariz. — 124 degrees
Blythe, Calif. — 123 degrees
Needles, Calif. — 122 degrees
Laughlin, Nev. — 120 degrees
Phoenix — 118 degrees
Palmdale, Calif. — 115 degrees
Sacramento — 112 degrees
Medford, Ore. — 112 degrees

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Death Valley, Calif., is home to the most extreme temperature reached since late last week. It made it to 129 on Sunday, following a high of 128 on Saturday, both calendar-day records and very near its world record high of 130 degrees (based on reliable modern records; a measurement of 134 there in 1913 is controversial). Its highs are forecast to remain near 130 through the workweek, with the next seven days forecast to reach 129, 130, 131, 131, 129 127 and 125.

More extreme heat ahead

Numerous heat records are predicted from California to Washington state on Monday, and they will expand eastward into Idaho on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday and Friday, the record-setting temperatures will retreat southward somewhat, concentrating in California’s Central Valley and the Desert Southwest.

Highs of 100 to 120 will remain common across much of California and large parts of its neighboring states, with the hottest desert locations topping 120.

Las Vegas may drop a couple of degrees on Monday compared with Sunday, but it could return to the upper 110s Tuesday through Thursday. Phoenix will also be around 115 for most of the workweek.

By Sunday, temperatures may drop just enough to be safely below record levels over much of the West.

Then a break?

While the heat may ease briefly by Sunday across the West, there’s little sign of any major change to the overall weather pattern.

Computer models suggest that the heat dome — or zone of intense high pressure — responsible for the blistering temperatures will largely stay in place, shifting only slightly east toward the Four Corners region. That small shift may mean only it’s just very hot rather than record hot over California.

By the final third of July, long-range models suggest the heat dome could once again become lodged near the West Coast.

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