Emergency personnel in Phoenix are stretched due to the heat
Marissa Byrd
While Phoenix broke another daily record with 118 degrees yesterday, Dr. Frank Lovecchio, an emergency medicine physician at Valleywise Health, said the heat is straining local hospitals.
“This is the worst summer in recent memory,” he said. “I've been working here since 1996, in the same hospital, and this is one of the worst summers because we've had so many days in a row… It's amazing.” Warm weather.”
As of today, the city has seen 17 consecutive days above 110 degrees. Walking into Valleywise's emergency room means seeing hallways filled with patients connected to intravenous lines, drowsy from heat exhaustion.
“We are overwhelmed with patients,” Lovecchio said, adding that 20% of patients are there for heat-related reasons. “We use the surplus.”
Ice baths are prepared on stretchers by medical staff for the inevitable next patient who needs immediate cooling. Some patients arrived at the hospital with internal temperatures as high as 107 and could sometimes be saved, LoVecchio said. The person who was rushed with a core temperature of 110 last week did not make it.
The Phoenix Fire Department has been stressed, too. It's not unusual for firefighters to get overheated, with Arizona firefighters taking ice baths after particularly stressful calls.
They administered intravenous fluids in coolers filled with ice, and were responding to an uptick in the same heat-related calls that are bringing more patients to the hospital, including a man who suffered third-degree burns to his body from lying on the asphalt. Firefighters believe the man was among those experiencing homelessness in the city – the population most at risk in the heatwave.
NWS map highlights stark temperature differences in California
Jason Abruzzese
The National Weather Service map highlights how warm parts of California are and how different those temperatures are.
The map shows many parts of inland California near San Francisco reaching triple digits, even reaching 108 degrees. Temperatures closest to the water remained moderate in the 60s and 70s.
Busy weekend for firefighters in Southern California
Evan Bush
Soaring temperatures have kicked off wildfire season for Southern California firefighters.
The fast-moving Rabbit Fire broke out Friday afternoon near Beaumont, California. The fire spread quickly through the steep terrain and dense brush, and by today had reached 7,600 acres.
The blaze – the largest of four in Riverside County southeast of Los Angeles – marks the beginning of California's fire season, triggered by extreme heat sweeping across the southern United States.
The fire broke out in rugged terrain but close to neighborhoods in Beaumont, a city of about 55,000 people. Firefighters are working to build a containment line to protect neighborhoods along the northeastern edge of the burned area. So far, no buildings were damaged as of Sunday afternoon. More than 800 workers were assigned to extinguish the fire, which is about 10% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
One person was injured in the rabbit fire. The circumstances of the injury were not immediately clear.
“One civilian was injured. We have no information about the type of injury. It was moderate. “She was transported to a local hospital via ground ambulance,” said Maggie Klein De La Rosa, Cal Fire fire information officer.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a wildfire smoke advisory until tomorrow for communities near the Rabbit Fire, including Beaumont, the Coachella Valley and Hemet.
These areas are dealing with wildfire smoke as well as high ozone levels resulting from the recent heat wave as heat and sunlight interact with local pollutants.
Jason Aldean interrupts the concert after heat issues
Jason Abruzzese
Country star Jason Aldean said he was feeling good afterward Concert cut short due to heat.
Aldean said a combination of dehydration and heat exhaustion forced him to cut short his show at the Xfinity Theater yesterday in Connecticut.
“Anyone on the show knows how hot it is,” he said in a video he posted on his Twitter account.
Aldean said he has received intravenous fluids and plans to perform tonight in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Death Valley in California is roaring as the brutal heatwave continues
News agency
Death Valley, long the hottest place on Earth, put a harsh exclamation point today on a record warm summer sweeping across almost the entire globe by courting some of the highest temperatures ever recorded, meteorologists said.
Temperatures in Death Valley, which runs along part of Central California's border with Nevada, are expected to reach 128 degrees (53.33 degrees Celsius) today at Furnace Creek, the National Weather Service said.
The highest temperature ever recorded was 134 degrees in July 1913 at Furnace Creek, said Randy Severny, records coordinator at the World Meteorological Organization. Temperatures of 130 degrees or higher have been recorded on Earth only a few times, mostly in Death Valley.
“With global warming, these temperatures are becoming more likely to occur,” Severny said in an email. “Long term: Global warming is causing temperatures to rise higher and more frequently. Short term: This weekend in particular is being driven by a series of very strong high pressure over the western United States.
Meteorologists were tracking high clouds today in the area that could keep temperatures in check.
“The all-time record looks pretty safe today,” said Matt Woods, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Las Vegas office, which monitors Death Valley.
Wildfires outside Los Angeles draw help from Utah and Colorado
Jason Abruzzese
The Angeles National Forest said in a tweet that firefighters from Utah and Colorado were helping support local efforts to contain the fast-moving wildfires.
“With increased fire activity and extreme weather conditions, fire officials are sending more firefighters from out of state.” The forest said.
Fast-moving wildfires outside Los Angeles have already prompted evacuations.
Cloud cover brings a slight respite in Phoenix, parts of Louisiana
Jason Abruzzese
The National Weather Service said Phoenix may not see record high temperatures thanks to cloud cover. He pointed out that temperatures will remain high.
The service also expanded its heat advisory for Louisiana, noting that forecasts call for heat index values to reach 105 to 110 degrees ahead of the storms.
Boulder, Colo., National Weather Service issues heat advisory for Monday; Near-record temperatures are expected
NBC News
Temperatures are expected to reach record highs in the Boulder, Colorado area tomorrow.
More than 1,000 US flights have been canceled due to severe storms targeting the Northeast
Mirna Alsharif
More than 1,000 flights to and from the Northeast were canceled as storms continued to batter the region over the weekend.
More than 1,160 flights to and from the United States had been canceled as of Sunday afternoon, including more than 350 flights to and from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, according to online flight tracking site FlightAware.
The severe weather led to groundings at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Both companies announced on Twitter that they were experiencing flight disruptions due to the weather and encouraged travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the Northeast over the weekend, and heavy rains are expected to target New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
read tIt's the full story here.
