Record-Breaking Heat Waves Set to Bake South and Southwest
Potentially deadly temperatures expected across several states
By Alyssa Lukpat, WSJ
Updated July 12, 2023 6:20 pm ET
Triple-digit temperatures are forecast over large parts of the South and Southwest in the coming days, said the National Weather Service. The NWS forecast that numerous high temperature records will be broken. Photo: Richard Ellis/Zuma Press
A dangerous heat wave was building across the southwestern U.S. this week as millions of people there and in the South brace for record-breaking, and potentially deadly, temperatures.
Southwestern states are preparing for temperatures in the triple digits, joining Texas and Oklahoma which are in the middle of a continuing heat wave, the National Weather Service said. Areas including Arizona, Nevada and Central and Southern California are forecast to be under a heat dome that could trap warmth in the region for up to two weeks.
Several places could break heat records, meteorologists said. Nearly 104 million Americans were under an excessive heat warning or a heat advisory Wednesday evening, according to the NWS.
“The heat will be extremely dangerous and potentially deadly,” the NWS said. The weather service said approximately 27 million people in the contiguous U.S. will experience an air temperature or heat index above 110 degrees Fahrenheit over the next week.
Forecasters said the heat is expected to peak over the weekend, with no relief at nighttime when temperatures will remain high. Death Valley, Calif., often the hottest place on Earth, is forecast to reach 123 degrees Fahrenheit later this week, according to the NWS.
The stifling summer heat could be a new normal as global temperatures rise, the World Meteorological Organization said. Last week was the Earth’s hottest week on record, and followed the hottest June on record.
Temperatures in the Southwest and the South are expected to reach triple-digit in the coming days, meteorologists said. The heat is nothing new in the South, which for more than a month has broiled under a heat dome that has trapped heat and humidity in the region.
Forecasters said the hazardous heat could continue in parts of the South until at least July 21. It could feel as hot as 118 degrees in southern Texas this week, according to the NWS.
The U.S. has had a difficult weather month so far. While the South and Southwest have experienced heat waves, a deadly storm and flooding struck the Northeast.
Texas has borne the brunt of high temperatures so far this summer. Hundreds of people got sick, and more than a dozen died from heat-related causes. Floods, hail and tornadoes compounded the misery and caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of customers.
The heat wave has been unique for how long it has lasted and how high the temperatures were so early in the summer, said Isaac Longley, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.
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Public health officials have warned people in hot areas to take measures to prevent heat stress, which can lead to potentially serious and even deadly heat illnesses like heat stroke.
Forecasters are warning people under the heat dome to drink plenty of water and check on their elderly neighbors.
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