Life-threatening triple-digit heat will be a problem this week across parts of California and the Southwest.
LAS VEGAS – Meteorological summer has just started, and already millions of people across the West are preparing for potentially life-threatening heat-related illnesses due to a change in the weather pattern that will result in triple-digit temperatures during the region’s first summer heat wave.
Computer forecast models are showing building ridges of high pressure from the Pacific Ocean and Mexico that will help to crank up the heat during the week ahead.
A similar pattern has already caused record-breaking temperatures south of the border, with dozens of people and animals in Mexico reported to have been killed over the past month.
The FOX Forecast Center said that while it will still be extremely hot in the western U.S., it won’t be as extreme as what has been seen recently in Mexico.
By Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures in Phoenix and Las Vegas could approach or exceed 110 degrees, while Death Valley in California could see a high temperature of 118 degrees or higher.
If Las Vegas reaches at least 110 degrees on Wednesday (June 5), it would set a new record for the earliest 110-degree day on record in the city. The current record is June 6, which was set in 2010.
Sacramento in California will also likely get above 100 degrees this week, with a forecast high temperature on Tuesday of 102 degrees, followed by 104 degrees on Wednesday.
These temperatures constitute readings that will be 10-20 degrees above average for much of inland California and the Desert Southwest.
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Heat alerts issued for parts of 6 states in West
(FOX Weather)
With the potentially dangerous heat wave expected to build, the National Weather Service has placed more than 25 million people in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas under a heat alert.
Parts of Northern and Central California and southern Nevada, including Las Vegas, are under Excessive Heat Warnings, while places such as Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona are under an Excessive Heat Watch.
Computer forecast models show the worst of the heat wave will happen on Wednesday and Thursday but could linger into Friday and the upcoming weekend.
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The two heat-related illnesses can appear very similar, but have dangerously different outcomes.
National Weather Service meteorologists warn of heat-related illnesses for those who are not drinking plenty of fluids and do not have access to air conditioning.
Additionally, overnight lows will not drop into a comfortable range, which will impose an additional burden on people and pets hoping to cool off after sunset.
(FOX Weather)
In many of the areas where daily records could be tied or broken, the National Weather Service’s HeatRisk map has labeled communities at a Level 3 or 4 out of 4 for impacts.
The HeatRisk threat level takes into consideration the unusual nature of the heat, the duration of the extreme temperatures and potential health impacts.
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At a code red (Level 3) stage, heat affects anyone who is not adequately hydrated or those without access to cooling. This is a stage below a code magenta (Level 4).
A Level 4 signifies extreme heat that is either rare or long in duration. Health systems can be impacted by an influx of patients with heat-related illnesses.
Parts of the Las Vegas metro are in the extreme, Level 4 out of 4, risk zone on Thursday and Friday.