Meteorologists: Heat wave in Southwest, Plains no joke!
UPDATE: As predicted, records were set and people have perished in the heat wave.
We got a lot of smart aleck comments on Intense, dangerous and all-time record-challenging heat story, and yes it's always hot there in the summer -- but (as the headline states) we're talking about challenging the hottest weather ever recorded. Here are the numbers to beat:
Those are the highest temperatures ever recorded for those cities -- and the Death Valley reading is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth!* Interestingly, the station there hasn't been over 129 since that reading in 1913, and we're predicting 130 there on Monday!
We are also predicting 121 in Phoenix, which has only been over 119 three times in history! Ken Clark has more details, and says: "This is some serious and dangerous heat. Air conditioning, and thus the power grid, will be ultimately taxed. The fire danger will be exceptionally high. And even flights could be affected at major airports. The last time temperatures close to the levels we are expecting in the Southwest was in 2005 and 1990."
The Plains also aren't being highlighted for a heat threat as much as they should in the mainstream media -- there, the unusual humidity due to recent rain, will factor in, creating unusually high heat indexes for that area -- as high as 109 per this model (Mike Smith says add at 5-7 degrees to that) -- residents in this area are not used to that kind of heat and humidity, like they are in the Southeast. Mike goes on to say: "Serious (as in medically serious) heat is on the way. This is July heat with June humidity."
All in all, the public needs to take this heat wave seriously. There will be fatalities because of it.
Report a Typo
