The National Weather Service (NWS) issued its latest update on Thursday, stating that "unprecedented and dangerous" heat will continue across much of the West through the end of the work week.
Las Vegas set a new record for the longest period of days with temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 degrees Celsius) or higher. Nevada's most populous city recorded six consecutive days in which the temperature reached 115 degrees at noon Thursday at Harry Reid International Airport, the NWS Las Vegas announced in a post on the X social network.
Meanwhile, temperatures in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit for two consecutive weeks, prompting extended heat warnings through Saturday, the Xinhua news agency reports.
Elsewhere, Kingman in Arizona and Salem and Portland in Oregon also recorded record temperatures this week.
"This level of heat for many people will create an extreme risk of heat-related illnesses when access to adequate cooling or hydration is not available," the NWS warned in an earlier forecast Thursday.
Tragically, extreme heat is suspected of killing increasing numbers of people in California, Oregon and Arizona since last week, according to state medical examiners and news reports.
Santa Clara County in California was investigating 19 possible heat-related deaths, including four homeless people and nine people over the age of 65, according to the county Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday.
In Oregon, the number of potentially heat-related deaths had risen to 14 as of Thursday, the state medical examiner's office said.
The scorching conditions also exacerbated the threat of wildfires. Firefighters across the West were battling multiple fires in extreme temperatures Thursday.
There are currently 19 active wildfire incidents in California, including the Lake Fire, which started on July 5 and burned more than 34,000 acres of land. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), it prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains and was only 16 percent contained.
Cal Fire data indicated that this year's wildfire season was significantly more active than the previous five years. As of Thursday, more than 3,579 wildfires had burned 219,247 acres in California, surpassing the five-year average of 49,751 acres during the same period.
Hawaii has not been spared. Firefighters closed Haleakala National Park on Maui on Wednesday to battle a wildfire on the mountain's slopes, leaving visitors stranded in their vehicles overnight until fire crews cleared the roads Thursday morning.
In response to the increased fire risk, officials in Oregon and Washington have implemented burn bans and other restrictions to prevent new ignitions. Activities such as making campfires, operating chainsaws and target shooting are prohibited in most areas.
Las Vegas set a new record for the longest period of days with temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 degrees Celsius) or higher. Nevada's most populous city recorded six consecutive days in which the temperature reached 115 degrees at noon Thursday at Harry Reid International Airport, the NWS Las Vegas announced in a post on the X social network.
Meanwhile, temperatures in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit for two consecutive weeks, prompting extended heat warnings through Saturday, the Xinhua news agency reports.
Elsewhere, Kingman in Arizona and Salem and Portland in Oregon also recorded record temperatures this week.
"This level of heat for many people will create an extreme risk of heat-related illnesses when access to adequate cooling or hydration is not available," the NWS warned in an earlier forecast Thursday.
Tragically, extreme heat is suspected of killing increasing numbers of people in California, Oregon and Arizona since last week, according to state medical examiners and news reports.
Santa Clara County in California was investigating 19 possible heat-related deaths, including four homeless people and nine people over the age of 65, according to the county Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday.
In Oregon, the number of potentially heat-related deaths had risen to 14 as of Thursday, the state medical examiner's office said.
The scorching conditions also exacerbated the threat of wildfires. Firefighters across the West were battling multiple fires in extreme temperatures Thursday.
There are currently 19 active wildfire incidents in California, including the Lake Fire, which started on July 5 and burned more than 34,000 acres of land. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), it prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains and was only 16 percent contained.
Cal Fire data indicated that this year's wildfire season was significantly more active than the previous five years. As of Thursday, more than 3,579 wildfires had burned 219,247 acres in California, surpassing the five-year average of 49,751 acres during the same period.
Hawaii has not been spared. Firefighters closed Haleakala National Park on Maui on Wednesday to battle a wildfire on the mountain's slopes, leaving visitors stranded in their vehicles overnight until fire crews cleared the roads Thursday morning.
In response to the increased fire risk, officials in Oregon and Washington have implemented burn bans and other restrictions to prevent new ignitions. Activities such as making campfires, operating chainsaws and target shooting are prohibited in most areas.
