Temperatures soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the California coast on Friday morning (6), creating unbearable conditions for many.
Nighttime heat ranged from 80 to 100 degrees along the coasts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service.
Excessive heat warnings and heat alerts were in effect across the western United States on Friday morning. More than 31 million people were under excessive heat warnings in parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon.
An excessive heat warning is the most serious heat alert, issued when hot weather can cause illness or death if people do not take precautions, according to the National Weather Service. Warnings in the Los Angeles area are expected to last until Monday.
Hot nights can be deadly. Deaths can increase by 10 to 50 percent on days when nights are hot, studies have shown, because it becomes harder for people to cool off after a hot day. Outdoor workers, the elderly, young children, the sick, and homeless individuals are especially vulnerable.
In most of the United States, nights are warming faster than days due to climate change.
The nighttime heat in California followed a day of record temperatures during a heat wave that has already lasted a week. Burbank Airport hit 114 degrees on Thursday (5), according to the National Weather Service.
Phoenix marked its 100th consecutive day of temperatures of at least 100 degrees on Wednesday (4), and the city reached 116 degrees on Thursday (6). In Los Angeles, temperatures could reach 117 degrees on Friday (6).
The summer of 2024 is already being considered the hottest summer on record not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. The Earth saw its hottest day ever recorded on July 22, breaking a record set the day before.
Heat waves are becoming more frequent, more extreme, and longer-lasting in the western U.S. and around the world as the climate crisis generates increasingly severe and dangerous conditions.
Source: The New York Times and The Guardian