This weekend Americans set to experience heat wave

Friday, July 22, 2022

There are more than 85% of Americans bracing for temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit through the weekend, with millions in the south-central US expected to experience dangerous heat wave.

More than 100 million people are under various heat alerts Thursday in more than two dozen states from parts of the American West to New England, a suffocating cocoon that experts believe will become increasingly common due to the effects of climate change.

National Weather Service warned Wednesday that the widespread high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s and low 100s will encompass a majority of the country on Thursday and Friday.

The areas at the highest risk for the dangerously hot temperatures span the Southwest, central and south-central US along with the coastal mid-Atlantic region and the Northeast, the weather service noted.

Dallas County, Texas, reported its first heat-related death of the year — a 66-year-old woman — according to a Thursday news release from Dallas County Health and Human Services. The agency is not identifying the woman, but did say she had underlying health conditions.

The distressing heat wave — which has exacerbated a flash drought in the southern and central Plains — has pushed state and local leaders to issue heat emergencies and offer resources to residents to mitigate the high temperatures.

The mayor of Washington, DC, on Thursday announced a heat emergency — triggered when the district sees a temperature of 95 degrees or higher — that will last until Monday morning. The stay hydrated, limit sun exposure, and check on seniors, neighbours & pets.

Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday due to the expected oppressive heat, activating emergency programs likes special field teams that conduct home visits and outreach for people experiencing homelessness, the department of health said in a news release.

Similarly in New York, residents are encouraged to stay indoors in the upcoming days as the heat continues to sweep across the state to avoid “dangerous conditions that can lead to heat stress and illness,” according to Jackie Bray, the commissioner of the state’s homeland security and emergency services division.

Temperatures over 90 degrees are expected to remain in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston through the weekend — if not longer.

The excessive heat across the US has been matched by deadly conditions in Europe, where records have been smashed and the European Forest Fire Information System put 19 European countries on “extreme danger” alerts for wildfires.

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