Heat radiates across U.S. Southwest, setting record highs in California’s Death Valley, Thermal, and Palm Springs

Desdemona Despair

By Anita Snow
24 July 2018

PHOENIX (AP) – Scorching heat radiated across the U.S. Southwest on Tuesday, 24 July 2018, setting record highs in California’s Death Valley, Thermal, and Palm Springs in a week that forecasters say could prove to be the region’s hottest this year.

The National Weather Service said a new high of 127 degrees (52.7 Celsius) was set at California’s Death Valley. Weather service forecaster Chris Outler in Las Vegas said the record broke the previous one of 126 (52 Celsius) registered for the day in 1916.

He said Las Vegas reached a high of 112 (44 Celsius) on Tuesday, but that wasn’t a record for the day.

The weather service said other record highs set Tuesday included 122 (50 Celsius) in Thermal, in California’s Coachella Valley, and 121 (49.4 Celsius) in Palm Springs.

Forecaster Andrew Deemer said the Phoenix high of 116 (46 Celsius) on Tuesday was tied with the previous record set in 2014.

A high of 124 degrees (51 Celsius) was forecast in Death Valley and was expected to nudge up a few more degrees on Thursday as Arizona and parts of California, Utah and Nevada remained under an excessive heat warning. Highs up to 111 were expected Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Phoenix was also forecast to be among the hottest urban areas in the Southwest, with highs passing 100 (38 Celsius) by midmorning and hitting 113 (46 degrees) by early afternoon. […]

In California, power grid operators called for cutbacks in electricity usage as parts of the U.S. Southwest dealt with another day of scorching heat. […]

Phoenix on Monday recorded a sweltering 115 degrees (46 Celsius), breaking the previous record for the day, according to the weather service office. [more]

Heat radiates across Southwest; Death Valley hottest