Excessive Heat Warnings in effect for California, Nevada and Arizona

Record-breaking heat is forecast across the southwestern United States on June 6 and 7, 2024, with Excessive Heat Warnings in effect for nearly 20 million people — from California and Nevada to Arizona. Las Vegas has reached 43.3 °C (110 °F) at 14:11 LT today, tying the record for the earliest 110 °F day.

• A strong upper-level ridge associated with the ongoing heat wave over the Southwest is forecast to reach its peak intensity on Thursday, June 6, before gradually moving towards the southern Plains over the next few days.
• Widespread high and low temperature records are being tied or broken between California, Nevada, and Arizona today, with this trend expected to expand northward into Oregon and Washington on Friday and Saturday.
• The HeatRisk will peak between Major and Extreme today for much of the West, with particular concern for California’s Central Valley and the Desert Southwest due to their lower elevations and urban areas.
• Little to no overnight relief from the heat will affect those without effective cooling and adequate hydration.

Record-breaking heat is forecast across the southwestern United States on Thursday, June 6, and Friday, June 7, 2024, affecting nearly 20 million people under Excessive Heat Warnings.

At 14:11 LT on June 6, Las Vegas recorded a temperature of 43.3 °C (110 °F), tying the record for the earliest 110 °F day, previously set on June 6, 2010, meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Las Vegas reported at 14:22 LT (21:22 UTC), adding that there’s still a few more hours of heating to go.

If the forecast high of 44.4 °C (112 °F) in Las Vegas today is reached, it would set a new record for the city’s earliest observed 112 °F.

Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are widespread, covering regions from California and Nevada to Arizona.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained that a combination of a bulge in the jet stream over the western United States and a storm offshore over the Pacific Ocean is causing the extreme temperatures.

This weather pattern is expected to elevate temperatures to their highest levels since last summer, affecting nearly a dozen states, including California, Oregon, and the Rockies.

Sosnowski noted that the peak of the heat would occur from Thursday to Friday, but parts of the Great Basin might experience surging temperatures on Saturday, June 8. Cities like Redding and Fresno in California, Las Vegas, Reno, and Ely in Nevada, and Tucson, Phoenix, and Flagstaff in Arizona are expected to challenge and potentially break daily record-high temperatures. The extreme heat will also impact portions of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, and New Mexico.

Death Valley may reach 48.9 °C (120 °F) for the first time this year, a temperature not typically seen in the hottest place in North America during June.

On Wednesday, June 5, nearly two dozen records were set across the country, including in larger cities such as Fort Myers, Florida; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Harlingen, Brownsville, and Del Rio in Texas.

While California’s heat peaked on Wednesday, the eastern part of the state will remain hot through the weekend.

The heat may ease slightly this weekend, but early forecasts suggest that the ridge of high pressure will rebuild across the West next week, potentially bringing another round of near-record to record temperatures, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

References:

¹ Blistering heat wave to have interior West searing into second week of June – AccuWeather – June 6, 2024

² Triple-digit heat wave continues to scorch West as Las Vegas forecast to climb over 110 degrees – FOX Weather – June 6, 2024

³ Short Range Forecast Discussion – NWS WPC – 16:00 EDT on June 6, 2024

Featured image: Heat Risk for June 6, 2024. Credit: NOAA/NWS, ESRI, The Watchers