go through James Fitzgerald, bbc news
The U.S. Southwest has set new daily temperature records as dangerously high temperatures plague the region.
One of Thursday’s record-setting locations was Phoenix, where temperatures soared to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) and 11 people were taken to the hospital while waiting for a Donald Trump rally.
National Weather Service (NWS) warnings remain in effect Friday wider areacovering a population of approximately 20 million.
The high temperatures mark the first round of dangerous temperatures this season and could persist into next week in some areas, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
Although the official start of summer is still two weeks away, the National Weather Service has advised people in affected areas to limit outdoor activities and stay hydrated.
It earlier warned there would be no relief from scorching temperatures overnight.
On Thursday, NWS thermometers in places like Las Vegas and Death Valley showed new highs for June 6. Temperatures at the latter location reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius).
Fire departments in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, have received at least 12 heat-related calls since Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Nine of them required treatment in hospital.
The NWS Phoenix office reported a temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) in Sky Harbor, which exceeded the previous record set on June 6, 2016.
Phoenix is the hottest big city in the United States, and 645 people died from heat in Maricopa County last year.
Firefighters were on standby to immerse heatstroke victims in ice. Some popular local hiking trails are closed.
Eleven Trump rally attendees were later released from the hospital, according to the Associated Press.
The Southwest’s first heat wave of the year was caused by a heat dome: an area of high pressure in which hot air is pushed down and trapped, causing temperatures to soar across large areas.
Temperatures for this time of year are about 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
Scientists say that while heat domes were once described as rare, they are becoming increasingly common and intense due to human-induced climate change.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced on Wednesday that the world has broken monthly high temperature records for an entire year.
The Climate Change Service also found that May was the 11th month in a row that global average temperatures were at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average in the late 1800s, a period before greenhouse gas emissions increased significantly.
Scientists say the reason for the high temperatures is man-made climate change Combined with the El Niño climate phenomenon.
“We are living in unprecedented times,” Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Institute, said earlier this week.
