Heat wave bringing record-breaking temps, heightened wildfire risk to parts of western US

Washington: A heat wave gripped large swaths of the western US on Saturday as temperatures hovered near record highs, heightening wildfire risks in areas that already are dry or burning and prompting warnings for people to stay inside.

A ridge of high pressure is holding heat close to the ground — what's known as a heat dome — from Arizona to Montana, though the good news is that it will be relatively short-lived, National Weather Service meteorologists said.

Dangerous heat and warnings were plaguing the region Saturday, and the National Weather Service on Saturday forecast a high of 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) in Las Vegas, the hottest temperature of the year. Phoenix was expected to reach 116F (47C), while El Centro, California, was expected to hit a record 118F (48C). Even parts of Montana were expected to broil, with a record 104F (40C) forecast for Great Falls.

In Las Vegas, Saturday's forecast high was 10 degrees above normal, with meteorologists warning of dangerous heat through Sunday, when the high is expected to be 114, said weather service meteorologist Morgan Stessman.

Overnight lows in the upper 80s to low 90s will make the situation especially dangerous because it doesn't allow people's bodies to recover. “There's just no relief overnight,” Stessman said.

People were being urged to stay indoors and hydrated.

At the Justa Center in Phoenix, which caters to seniors but opens to the public as a cooling centre in the afternoon, the biggest challenge is keeping up with the need for water and electrolytes, said operations director Rudy Soliz. He said about 200 people come in daily.

“Anybody can come in, get a meal, sign up, get checked in through the cooling centre, sit down, relax, watch a little TV, you know, catch themselves before they move on to another cooling centre or their destination,” he said.

Several cities nearing record temps